An Intersection of Privatization and Public Utility Regulation: The Ohio State University’s Energy Concession Agreement
15 Pages Posted: 13 Jun 2019 Last revised: 25 Jun 2021
Date Written: May 28, 2019
Abstract
U.S. colleges and universities have for some time joined the privatization movement where university functions and assets are turned over to private contractors. Here we present a case of a 50-year comprehensive energy concession agreement by The Ohio State University that generated an up-front payment exceeding a billion dollars. The agreement, with many principles and design practices borrowed directly from economic regulation of public utilities and against the backdrop of the literature on privatization and contract theory, provides an insightful case that informs these literature, as well as future privatization efforts by universities and other large-scale public organizations.
Keywords: Privatization; Public Utility Regulation; Public-private Partnerships; Contracting Out; University Concessions
JEL Classification: G18; G38; L33; L43; L51
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation