Banca de DEFESA: OTAVIO SERAFIM DA SILVA NETO

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : OTAVIO SERAFIM DA SILVA NETO
DATE: 30/06/2026
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: VIDEOCONFERÊNCIA
TITLE:

INCENTIVE REGULATION IN BASIC SANITATION: THE X FACTOR AS A TOOL FOR PROMOTING EFFICIENCY

KEY WORDS:

X Factor; Malmquist Index; DEA-BCC.

PAGES: 79
BIG AREA: Ciências Sociais Aplicadas
AREA: Administração
SUBÁREA: Ciências Contábeis
SUMMARY:

This research, grounded in Regulatory Theory, Public Interest Theory, and Capture Theory, aimed to analyze incentive-based regulation in the basic sanitation sector using the X-Factor as a regulatory instrument. To this end, economic and operational  performance data from the main Brazilian sanitation utilities were analyzed for the period from 2019 to 2022, based on information extracted from the historical database of the National Sanitation Information System (SNIS).The variables employed were operating expenses, total electricity consumption in water supply and sewage systems, billed water volume, billed sewage volume, direct operating revenue from water and sewage services, total population served by water supply systems, and the number of active water connections. Utility efficiency was assessed using the output-oriented DEA-BCC model and the methodology adopted in SABESP's concession contract, which employs the Malmquist Productivity Index, with particular emphasis on technological efficiency. The DEA results indicated technical efficiency in 63% of the utilities. CAGECE was the utility most frequently identified as a benchmark, while CBA appeared most often as the primary reference utility. Regarding slack analysis, operating revenue from water and sewage services exhibited the highest slack values, indicating that utilities generated revenue below their potential level. Concerning returns to scale, the results did not indicate uniformity in the efficiency levels observed among the utilities. With respect to the Malmquist Index, 48.15% of the utilities achieved an average technical efficiency score greater than one, while 33.33% demonstrated technological efficiency gains. Total factor productivity results revealed that 59.26% of the utilities experienced productivity losses during the analyzed period. A comparison between the DEA and Malmquist results showed that some utilities classified as efficient by DEA experienced productivity declines over time, whereas others exhibited productivity improvements. These findings reveal significant heterogeneity among utilities, leading to the conclusion that productivity-sharing mechanisms based exclusively on technological efficiency present important limitations. Particular attention should be given to SABESP's performance: despite achieving DEA-BCC efficiency and a total factor productivity index greater than one, the company did not stand out in terms of technological efficiency. Therefore, this research contributes to the discussion of economic regulation in the Brazilian sanitation sector, particularly regarding the application of the X-Factor as an incentive mechanism for promoting efficiency.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Interno - 3220688 - ALEXANDRO BARBOSA
Presidente - 2241320 - ATELMO FERREIRA DE OLIVEIRA
Externo à Instituição - YURI GOMES PAIVA AZEVEDO - UFERSA