Economic regulators ensure that infrastructure services are delivered efficiently, when competition on its own is unable to do so. This report explores how they carry out this task and the implications for infrastructure governance more broadly.

This report encourages governments to “think big” about the relevance of regulatory policy and assesses the recent efforts of OECD countries to develop and deepen regulatory policy and governance.

Economic regulators ensure that infrastructure services are delivered efficiently, when competition on its own is unable to do so. This report explores how they carry out this task and the implications for infrastructure governance more broadly.

This report identifies the critical points where undue influence can be exercised at different moments in the life of a regulator and discusses some of the avenues for developing a culture of independence, including through interactions with stakeholders, staffing and financing.

This report discusses the implications of funding and staff arrangements for the autonomy, agility, accountability and transparency of regulators in the energy, e-communications, transport and water sectors. It identifies trends, challenges, opportunities and good practices, drawing upon survey responses from 57 economic regulators across 31 countries.

This report uses the OECD Performance Assessment Framework for Economic Regulators (PAFER) to assess both the internal and external governance of Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Regulators act as “market referees”, balancing the often-competing interests of stakeholders such as governments, current and future actors in the markets, and consumers. At the same time, markets are rapidly changing due to new technologies, the international drive toward carbon-neutral economies, and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic and energy and cost-of-living crises. Continuously assessing the performance of economic regulators is thus important to ensure regulators continue to perform in a changing context. This second progress review evaluates the changes made by Latvia’s Public Utilities Commission over the last three years to implement 2016 OECD recommendations, following a first progress review in 2021. The review tracks progress and provides advice on how to increase the effectiveness of regulatory activities and, ultimately, improve outcomes for consumers and the economy.

This report maps country efforts to improve regulatory quality in line with the 2012 OECD Recommendation on Regulatory Policy and Governance, and shares good regulatory practices. It provides unique insights and innovative approaches to better regulation.

As “market referees”, regulators contribute to the delivery of essential public utilities. Their organisational culture, behaviour, actions and governance are important factors in how they, and the sectors they oversee, perform. The OECD Performance Assessment Framework for Economic Regulators (PAFER) looks at the institutions, processes and practices that can create an organisational culture of performance and results. This report uses PAFER to assess both the internal and external governance of Brazil’s National Agency for Water and Basic Sanitation (ANA). The review offers recommendations for the regulator to build upon its strong technical reputation and good practices. It proposes an integrated set of recommendations to help ANA best fulfil its roles relating to water resource management and water-use regulation, dam safety, and water supply and sanitation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the crucial role regulation plays in the economy and society, but has also exposed gaps in domestic and international rule-making that have cost lives and money. The 2021 Regulatory Policy Outlook, the third in the series, maps country efforts to improve regulatory quality in line with the 2012 OECD Recommendation on Regulatory Policy and Governance, and shares good regulatory practices that can help close the gaps.