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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/62330
Similar problems, different solutions: Comparing refuse collection in the Netherlands and Spain
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Local public service provision can vary greatly because of differences in institutional arrangements, public service markets, and national traditions regarding government intervention. In this paper we compare the procedures adopted by the local governments of the Netherlands and Spain in arranging for the provision of solid waste collection. We find that Spain faces a consolidation problem, opting more frequently to implement policies of privatization and cooperation, at the expense of competition. By contrast, the Netherlands has, on average, larger municipalities, resorting somewhat less to privatization and cooperation, and more to competition. The two options - cooperation and competition - have their merits when striving to strike a balance between transaction costs and scale economies. The choices made in organizational reform seem to be related to several factors, among which the nature of the political system and the size of municipalities appear to be relevant.
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BEL I QUERALT, Germà, et al. Similar problems, different solutions: Comparing refuse collection in the Netherlands and Spain. IREA – Working Papers. 2008. Vol. IR08/15. ISSN 2014-1254. [consulted: 11 of October of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/62330