Alberto Ruiz Villaverde
The ‘Social Choice’ of Privatising Urban Water Services in Madrid (Spain)
In countries where privatisation is permitted by law, policymakers usually give different
reasons of general interest to allow private companies to manage water services. However,
these types of decisions often provoke intense political debate and are at times opposed by
citizens. Empirical research has attempted to explain why some policymakers choose to
privatise urban water service management. Recent reviews of the literature have revealed that
most policymakers base their decisions on pragmatic reasons. We discuss this issue based on a
recent case study – the part-privatisation of Canal de Isabel II (Madrid, Spain).
About the Speaker
Dr Alberto Ruiz Villaverde
Dr Alberto Ruiz Villaverde is an Aggregate Professor of Economics at the University of Granada,
Spain. After completing his Economics degree in 2002, Alberto spent three years teaching
Economics in Morocco for the Ministry of Education's Spanish Educational Abroad Program.
Alberto then returned to the University of Granada with a research scholarship, focussing on
the study of urban water services management in Spain. In 2011, he defended his PhD in
Economics and continues his line of research with his latest study into the privatisation of
urban water services in Madrid, Spain.