Publication: Utility Regulators : Roles and Responsibilities
Date
1997-10
ISSN
Published
1997-10
Author(s)
Smith, Warrick
Abstract
There are three main issues in defining
a utility regulator's role: the scope of its coverage,
its role in relation to ministers, and its role in relation
to other regulatory entities such as the competition agency
or agencies dealing with environment or health and safety.
The author makes a case for multi-industry agencies covering
everything from power to water to transport. Multi-industry
agencies have several advantages that are especially
important for developing countries. They allow the pooling
of scarce expertise. They reduce the risk of industry and
political capture. They reduce the risk of inconsistency in
regulatory approaches across sectors. And they help to deal
with the blurring of industry boundaries as utilities enter
one another's markets (as when power utilities enter
telecommunications, and water and power utilities merge).
Citation
“Smith, Warrick. 1997. Utility Regulators : Roles and Responsibilities. Viewpoint. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/1a061345-2ca0-56b7-aa72-980df531c27a License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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