Water supply regulation in Spain: 19th and 20th centuries

Abstract

The economic regulation of network industries has been a relevant research topic in recent decades. The establishment of drinking water supply – at its various stages –generated the development of a complex legislative and economic framework, which provoked a change in the application of the concept of a “public service”. The old monopoly of state ownership gave way to a system of regulation, implying a new type of organization. Market competition, efficiency and the roles that companies and city councils play are some of the features of the new approach. This paper is aimed at analysing the evolution of regulation in this service between the mid-19th century and the final decades of the 20th century.