UK Privatization and Household Welfare

This paper investigates the effects of the UK privatization process by estimating changes in household welfare on the basis of real relative price changes. As measured on the basis of price changes at the consumer level, privatization has generated aggregate welfare gains for households. When exogenous input costs in the production process are controlled for, it is noted that the role of privatization is more limited, being between 15% and 50% of the total welfare change obtained after privatization has taken place.