An analytical review of the efficiency of water and sanitation utilities in developing countries

Due to the importance of analyzing the efficiency of water utilities and the large number of publications in this area, at least five reviews have already been carried out to identify patterns and trends. These reviews aimed to cover worldwide studies, and the results may not correspond to the reality in developing countries. Therefore, this review provides a literature update on the quantitative studies of water and sanitation services, focusing on studies carried out in developing countries. This overview mainly examines the economies of scale and scope, public versus private ownership, and the impact of regulation. As expected, our results show patterns that differ from those found in worldwide reviews (e.g., the influence of regulatory incentives on operator efficiency and economies of scope). In addition, this paper presents patterns regarding the quantitative methods adopted, as well as some trends and areas for possible future research. (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier Ltd.