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Draft Report of WDR Theme 2002 |
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Written by Anders Henten & Rohan Samarajiva
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Monday, 27 May 2002 |
This paper critically examines the multiple rationales for information and communication technology (ICT) and media convergence regulation and multi-sector utility regulation and the practical questions of implementation that they pose with a view to contributing to informed policy choices. Both options involve substantive as well as procedural issues, not necessarily separable. Policy design is affected by overall policy objectives, not necessarily limited to extant and accepted objectives such as increasing investment in a particular infrastructure sector. The design may be driven by explicit objectives such as enhancing a country’s comparative advantage with regard to advanced service industries or implicit objectives such as minimizing the political or perceptual fallout of a change in regulatory regime or personnel. In the paper, the conditions that may affect the creation of convergence and multisector regulation, ranging from underlying commonality of inputs and the behavior of regulated firms to considerations that are specific to the regulatory process such as scarcity of regulatory resources and safeguards for regulatory independence are examined.
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