Accessibility of public services

The accessibility of certain products and services to all people, irrespective of their income, age, health and geographical location is considered to be of great social importance.

Think for instance of health care, education, electricity, and sanitation. Accessibility can be secured in a variety of ways. For instance, selected service providers can be subsidised by the government to supply a service free of charge, or a provider can be awarded a legal monopoly in exchange for an obligation to serve all customers at a uniform rate.

Another option is to subsidize consumers that face accessibility problems directly by means of vouchers or tax credits. The object of this study is to define how instruments are applied to secure accessibility in different networks and semi-public sectors and to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses.