Research Study
|| Australia || Brazil || Canada || India || South Africa || The Philippine || The UK || Sri Lanka ||

Background
The Indian government confers top priority to development of infrastructure services as a strategy to facilitate and sustain economic growth of high order. To that effect, though private investment has been invited in most infrastructure services however the quantum of investment taking place is far below of expectations.

Realising the role that enabling and robust regulatory framework can play in attracting private investments, the government entrusted the Planning Commission, the apex think-tank, with the responsibility to study and analyse the experiences elsewhere to suggest a world-class regulatory framework for infrastructure sector in India.

Summary of Research Work:
The research study intends to look at governance and institutional aspects of regulatory framework prevailing in select seven countries; perform a comparative analysis; and come out with relevant learning for India.

Besides India, the economies selected include Australia (Asia-pacific), Brazil (Latin America), Canada (North America), South Africa (Africa), the Philippine (East Asia), the UK (Europe), and Sri Lanka (South Asia). These economies represent various regions and are at different stages of economic development. The regulatory frameworks in these economies also offer diverse experiences.

Project objectives:

• Analyse the regulatory framework in the project countries with regard to institutional and governance aspects, such as regulatory objectives, mandate, independence, interface with other agencies/authorities, enforceability, decision making process, capacity, appellant provisions, accountability, selection and staffing.

• Compare the regulatory framework in the project countries, and identify key learning for India.

• Suggest ways forward to strengthen the existing regulatory framework (i.e., policy, legislation and institutions) in infrastructure sector in India.

Methodology:
The research would mainly rely on secondary sources of information/data. Primary sources would also be used to procure relevant data/information wherever required to verify and/or complement the information collected from secondary sources.

Subject to the requirement, primary information will be collected from the project countries with the help of identified local institutions. In India, the perceptions and opinions of selected representative stakeholders including regulators, investors, consumers, development agencies etc will be recorded through organizing personal interviews.

It is proposed to look at entire gamut of infrastructure sectors and perform an in-depth analysis of utilities i.e. energy, telecom, and water distribution.

A draft report will be prepared and send out to experts for comments and finalized.

Output
A report comprises comparative analysis of institutional and governance aspects of regulatory framework in select economies, and recommendations to India.

Timeline:
April 1, 2006 to November 30, 2006

Implementing Organisation:
CUTS Centre for Competition, Investment and Economic Regulation
Ph: +91-141-228 2821
Fx: +91-141-228 2733, 228 2485
E-mail: c-cier@cuts.org
Website: www.cuts-international.org