摘要：This paper examines the impact of contracting out on the costs incurred by local authoritiesin providing refuse collection services. Using original survey data for the Republic of Ireland, threemethods of estimating the impact of tendering are adopted. Crude comparisons of costs before andafter tendering and the costs of local authorities versus private contractors indicate that tenderingcan yield savings of between 34 and 45 per cent. Using multivariate regression analysis to enableus to control for service characteristics confirms cost savings of around 45 per cent. The bulk ofthese cost savings are attributed to real efficiency gains as a result of contracting out
