Parametric analysis of cost inefficiency and the decomposition of productivity growth for regulated firms

This paper examines the contributions of technical change, scale economies, regulation, and efficiency on productivity growth in the interstate natural gas pipeline industry. Following Bauer (1990) productivity growth for firms subject to regulation is decomposed into technical change, scale economies, regulation, and efficiency components. The data sample consists of 20 pipeline companies and covers the period 1977 to 1987. Results indicate that scale economies, cost inefficiency, and regulation on average accounted for 64%, 16%, and 4% of productivity growth respectively. Cost efficiency declined over the sample period, most of which can be attributed to technical inefficiency.