How public utilities were shaped in Britain, with practical approaches that influenced regulation worldwide.
This nonfiction study presents a historical look at the regulation of municipal utilities in Great Britain, illustrated by sections on capital, sale of shares, voting rights, accounting, and innovative controls like the sliding scale and merit rating. It is a reprint drawn from a 1913 appendix of the New York Public Service Commission report, published in 1914 for a broad audience of policymakers and practitioners.
This edition frames a practical history of how governments and regulators approached public service companies. It explains why official rate revision evolved into market-style controls, how capital and dividends were managed, and how modern ideas about efficiency and accountability developed in the early 20th century. The material is concrete, with historical examples and policy reasoning that illuminate early public utility regulation.
- Explains the shift from direct rate setting to incentive-based regulation tied to efficiency and public service quality
- Describes methods for capital appraisal, share sales, and control of dividends
- Outlines the structure of auditing, cost accounting, and transparency in public utilities
- Offers historical context for debates on public ownership, private interest, and regulatory oversight
Ideal for readers of regulatory policy, public administration, and the history of public utilities who want a clear, historically grounded view of early 20th-century practices.