Territorial differences in access to Services of General Economic Interest. Evaluation of regulatory policies from a regional perspective

Abstract

This paper analyzes from a regional perspective the use of Servicesof General Economic Interest (SGEI), to which general access in equal conditionsis considered key for social and territorial cohesion by European regulationpolicymakers.In order to do so, citizens’ revealed preferences with respect to SGEI according to the characteristics of their place of residence are analyzed. Resultsidentify patterns of SGEI use by region, and also find lower use of some servicesin areas of low population density related to access problems. These results havesignificant implications for SGEI regulation in regional terms.

Keywords

• territorial cohesion
• regulatory policies
• Services of General Economic Interest
• Public Service Obligations