ECONOMIC REGULATION AND EFFICIENCY IN BRAZILIAN WATER COMPANIES BASED ON REVENUE COLLECTION
economic regulation; water supply; sanitary sewage; efficiency; DEA; revenue collection.
The present study analyzed the influence of economic regulation on the efficiency of revenue collection by water utility companies in Brazil. The research was characterized as descriptive, quantitative, and documentary, using operational, financial, and regulatory information from a sample of 45 sanitation service providers between 2020 and 2024. In the first stage of the analysis, Network Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was applied, incorporating intertemporal carry-over variables in order to measure the efficiency levels of the service providers. Additionally, the Malmquist Index was used to evaluate the evolution of the companies’ productivity throughout the analyzed period. In the second stage, econometric regression models were estimated using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE), aiming to verify the influence of regulatory, institutional, economic-financial, and operational factors on the efficiency and productivity scores obtained in the first stage of the research. The results showed that variables related to regulatory intensity, especially the number of regulators and years of regulation, presented a positive association with revenue collection efficiency levels in part of the estimated models. However, the mere existence of regulation by an agency did not show statistical significance for static efficiency scores, although it demonstrated a positive relationship with the intertemporal productivity evolution of the service providers. Furthermore, publicly traded companies showed significant differences regarding efficiency levels, while the legal nature of the companies did not present significant influence on DEA scores, although it demonstrated an association with productivity measured by the Malmquist Index.