Handbook of Worldwide Postal Reform

9781847209573 Edward Elgar Publishing

Edited by the late Michael A. Crew, formerly CRRI Professor of Regulatory Economics and Director, Center for Research in Regulated Industries (CRRI), Rutgers Business School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, US, the late Paul R. Kleindorfer, former Paul Dubrule Professor of Sustainable Development, INSEAD, France and Anheuser-Busch Professor Emeritus of Management Science, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, US and James I. Campbell, Jr, Attorney, Washington, DC and Adjunct Professor, School of Public Policy, George Mason University, US

Publication Date: 2008 ISBN: 978 1 84720 957 3 Extent: 480 pp

The postal and delivery sector has been the subject of considerable interest in recent years. This Handbook brings together a number of contributions directed at understanding developments in the field of postal reform. The authors review the experience and plans of individual countries to provide some perspective on the problems faced in the area and the varied approaches being taken to address it. They also review key elements of policy and strategy that are important in this debate.

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Critical Acclaim

Contributors

Contents

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The postal and delivery sector has been the subject of considerable interest in recent years. This book brings together a number of contributions directed at understanding developments in the field of postal reform. The authors review the experience and plans of individual countries to provide some perspective on the problems faced in the area and the varied approaches being taken to address them. They also review key elements of policy and strategy that are important in this debate.

Gradual change occurred throughout the world’s postal systems during the 1990s and into the 21st century. Regulatory and legal developments, together with advances in micro-electronics, fiber optics, and electronic substitution, continue to have a major impact on the sector. Regulatory changes have been most visible in Europe with the approval of the 3rd Postal Directive for the European Union in 2008. However, Europe has not been alone in facing these changes. Legislators in the US have also attempted to respond to changes in postal markets with the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 (PAEA). Similar trends toward restructuring and reform of the sector are evident in other countries as well. This comprehensive book analyzes and describes the forces underlying these changes, the nature of the responses to them at national and regional levels, and some of the major challenges that postal operators, postal customers, and regulators are likely to encounter in the future.

Scholars and students of regulation in general and those specifically interested in the postal and delivery sector will find this volume invaluable, as will policymakers and professionals within the industry.

Critical Acclaim

‘. . . this particular Handbook is different from other volumes. It presents the broader context of worldwide postal reform. It is released at the perfect time to give an overview on where different countries or even continents are on their way of transforming postal markets. . . the book offers insights into the future directions of reform and identifies principles that will guide forthcoming policies and regulation. . . The book offers a comprehensive overview on the most important topics in the field. . . The particular strength of the book comes from the wide range of cases all over the world allowing a comparison of how different regions approach the postal reform and transformation processes. . . the Handbook gives a very good overview of the postal industry’s transformation. It benefits largely from the rich and world-spanning case studies that allow a comparison and give an overview of different issues and approaches in reforming an industry which is not only different from other network industries but also faces challenges like increasing competition, electronic substitution and the presence of specific geographical and local conditions. As such, it makes very good reading for those interested in the problems related to postal reforms and especially those who want to gain an overview on how different countries and regions approach postal regulation and the transformation of the postal industry.’
– Martin Maegli, Competition and Regulation of Network Industries

Contributors

Contributors: P. Andersson, A. Azuz, K. Bergum, M.D. Bradley, M. Buser, J.I. Campbell Jr., P. Claeys, J. Colvin, M.A. Crew, G. d’Alcantara, A.K. Dieke, J.-P. Ducasse, R. Eccles, C. Gallet-Rybak, J.B. Ianni, C. Jaag, L. Jimenez, P.R. Kleindorfer, B. Kuypers, S. Maruyama, M. Morelli, C. Moreno, D. Nadal, A. Niederprüm, U. Nisan, A. Obrea, J.C. Panzar, C. Paterson, M.K. Perkins, L.A. Pintsov, A. Porges, V. Ranganathan, R.A.F. Reisner, E. Sagi, S. Sano, J. Toledano, U. Trinkner, R. Wojtek

Contents

Contents:

Preface

1. Postal Reform: Introduction
Michael A. Crew, Paul R. Kleindorfer and James I. Campbell Jr

PART I: ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF REFORM
2. Interactions between Regulatory and Antitrust Policies in a Liberalized Postal Sector
John C. Panzar

3. Pricing for Postal Access and Worksharing
Michael A. Crew and Paul R. Kleindorfer

4. An Economic Model of the Regulatory Structure Created by the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006
Michael D. Bradley, Jeff Colvin and Mary K. Perkins

5. Economics of Post Office Networks: Strategic Issues and the Impact on Mail Demand
Martin Buser, Christian Jaag and Urs Trinkner

6. Funding Universal Service Obligations
John C. Panzar

7. Calculating the Net Cost of the USO: A Practical Example from Norway
Kristin Bergum

PART II: TRANSFORMATION AND INNOVATION
8. Reform of the United States Postal Service: An Unfinished Task
Michael A. Crew and Paul R. Kleindorfer

9. Postal Transformation: United States Postal Service Builds a Platform for Fundamental Future Change
Robert A.F. Reisner

10. Technological Innovation and Postal Reform
Jean-Philippe Ducasse, Luis Jimenez and Marc Morelli

11. Postal Reform and Product Innovation
Leon A. Pintsov and Andrei Obrea

PART III: REGIONAL AND COUNTRY STUDIES
12. National Postal Policies in Europe on the Eve of the Third Directive
James I. Campbell Jr., Alex Kalevi Dieke and Antonia Niederprüm

13. Economic Factors Underlying Postal Reform in the European Union
Michael A. Crew, Gonzales d’Alcantara, Paul R. Kleindorfer, Philippe Claeys and Bert Kuypers

14. EU Law on Postal Services
Richard Eccles

15. A Brief History of the United States Postal Monopoly Law
James I. Campbell Jr.

16. Competition, Wages and Politics in the Delivery Sector: The Case of Postal Minimum Wages in Germany
Alex Kalevi Dieke and Ralf Wojtek

17. Liberalization and Market Performance: Towards Higher Efficiency in Sweden
Peter Andersson

18. The French Postal Market in the Wake of the Postal Law of 2005
Catherine Gallet-Rybak, Cécile Moreno, Daniel Nadal and Joëlle Toledano

19. United Kingdom Postal Services Regulation
Richard Eccles

20. The Diverse Characteristics of Postal Reforms in Asia: Privatization, Corporatization and Liberalization
Shoji Maruyama and Shinichi Sano

21. How Much Postal Reform in Japanese Postal Privatization?
James I. Campbell Jr. and Amelia Porges

22. Postal Reform in Australia
Chris Paterson

23. Postal Reform in Developing Countries: Challenges and Choices
Juan B. Ianni

24. India Post: An Agenda for Restructuring and Commercialization
V. Ranganathan

25. Postal Reform in Israel
Avi Azuz, Udi Nisan and Eli Sagi

Index