A multi-criteria model for measuring the sustainability orientation of Italian water utilities

IF 3.8 3区经济学 Q3 ENERGY & FUELS

Utilities Policy Pub Date : 2024-05-22 DOI:10.1016/j.jup.2024.101754

Gabriella D'Amore, Loris Landriani, Luigi Lepore, Maria Testa

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

This article investigates the influence of socioeconomic context and stakeholder pressure on water utilities' sustainability performance and disclosure. The Urban Water Cycle Services (UWCS) framework has been adapted to the Italian context and integrated with a social equity variable, which enhances the framework's ability to account for the distinctive characteristics and mission of water utilities in measuring sustainability performance. The sample comprises 17 Italian utilities providing water services that released a sustainability report in 2021. The results show that the socioeconomic context and stakeholder pressure influence how water utilities align with economic, environmental, and social sustainability goals. Listed multi-utility companies are strongly influenced by private shareholders, pushing them towards financial sustainability, while small public water utilities are more sensitive to the needs of their disadvantaged users, especially in low-income contexts. The findings of the study have interesting theoretical, managerial and policy implications.

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衡量意大利水务公司可持续性导向的多标准模型

本文研究了社会经济背景和利益相关者压力对水务公司可持续发展绩效和信息披露的影响。城市水循环服务（UWCS）框架已根据意大利的情况进行了调整，并与社会公平变量相结合，从而提高了该框架在衡量可持续发展绩效时考虑水务公司独特特征和使命的能力。样本包括在 2021 年发布可持续发展报告的 17 家意大利水务公司。研究结果表明，社会经济环境和利益相关者的压力会影响水务公司如何实现经济、环境和社会可持续发展目标。上市的多功能水务公司受到私人股东的强烈影响，促使其实现财务可持续性，而小型公共水务公司则对其弱势用户的需求更加敏感，尤其是在低收入环境中。研究结果具有有趣的理论、管理和政策意义。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Utilities Policy ENERGY & FUELS-ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

CiteScore

6.80

自引率

10.00%

发文量

审稿时长

66 days

期刊介绍： Utilities Policy is deliberately international, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral. Articles address utility trends and issues in both developed and developing economies. Authors and reviewers come from various disciplines, including economics, political science, sociology, law, finance, accounting, management, and engineering. Areas of focus include the utility and network industries providing essential electricity, natural gas, water and wastewater, solid waste, communications, broadband, postal, and public transportation services. Utilities Policy invites submissions that apply various quantitative and qualitative methods. Contributions are welcome from both established and emerging scholars as well as accomplished practitioners. Interdisciplinary, comparative, and applied works are encouraged. Submissions to the journal should have a clear focus on governance, performance, and/or analysis of public utilities with an aim toward informing the policymaking process and providing recommendations as appropriate. Relevant topics and issues include but are not limited to industry structures and ownership, market design and dynamics, economic development, resource planning, system modeling, accounting and finance, infrastructure investment, supply and demand efficiency, strategic management and productivity, network operations and integration, supply chains, adaptation and flexibility, service-quality standards, benchmarking and metrics, benefit-cost analysis, behavior and incentives, pricing and demand response, economic and environmental regulation, regulatory performance and impact, restructuring and deregulation, and policy institutions.