Proceedings of the SAFIR workshop on regulatory strategy ( held on 12 and 13 september 2000 in Dhaka,Bangladesh)/ edited by S.K.Sarkar

In South Asia, natural monopolies are progressively being subjected to independent regulation so as to ensure efficient mobilization of resources in the sector. Regulation is also there to prevent expropriation of investments and ensure the sector is financially viable, given the political interference we have seen in tariffs to date. Independent regulation aims to provide a level playing field to different service providers and also seeks to protect the interests of consumers against monopoly exploitation. It implies delegating various powers earlier enjoyed by various bureaucratic and political functionaries, and calls for developing expertise to meet the challenges in a dynamic environment.

The SAFIR workshop on regulatory strategy, held on 12 and 13 September 2000, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, took stock of developments in infrastructure regulation in South Asia and discussed various strategies for introducing and deepening regulatory reforms in this region. Various cross-cutting issues in infrastructure regulation were discussed by regulators, regulated entities, donors, academia, and government functionaries from different countries in the South Asian region. Deliberations centred around regulatory legitimacy, review and appeal of regulator's decisions, managing introduction of competition, and other generic issues on regulation in infrastructure sector. The proceedings of the workshop cover its five sessions; it details the different issues and the various points that emerged in the discussions. This volume hopes to serve as a ready reference to issues in regulation in infrastructure sector, particularly in South Asia.