Governance of Regulators

The OECD supports regulators in their efforts to improve regulatory performance and quality by carrying out in-depth peer reviews of regulators as well as producing indicators on the governance of sector regulators. This work builds on the recognition that governance matters for performance.

WHAT DO PAFER REVIEWS COVER?

The reviews are carried out within the OECD Network of Economic Regulators (NER), using a methodology built on lessons learnt from 70+ regulators that participate in the NER and the Best Practice Principles on the Governance of Regulators.

Role and strategic objectives: to identify the existence of a set of clearly identified objectives, targets, or goals that are aligned with the regulator’s functions and powers, which can inform the development of actionable performance indicators;

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT REVIEWS

Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency (2020) - English
Peru’s Transport Infrastructure Regulator (2020) - English - Spanish
Peru's Energy and Mining Regulator (2019) - English - Spanish
Peru’s Telecommunications Regulator (2019) - English / Spanish
Ireland's Commission for Regulation of Utilities (2018) - English
Mexico's Agency for Safety, Energy and Environment (2017) - English / Spanish
Mexico's National Hydrocarbons Commission (2017) - English / Spanish
Mexico's Energy Regulatory Commission (2017) - English / Spanish
Mexico's Energy Regulators (2017) English / Spanish
Latvia’s Public Utilities Commission (2016) - English
Colombia’s Communications Regulator (2015) - English

Input: to determine the extent to which the regulator’s funding and staffing are aligned with its objectives, targets or goals, and the regulator’s ability to manage financial and human resources autonomously and effectively;
Process: to assess the extent to which processes and the organisational management support the regulator’s performance;
Output and outcome: to identify the existence of a systematic assessment of the performance of the regulated entities, the impact of the regulator’s decisions and activities, and the extent to which these measurements are used appropriately.

GOVERNANCE INDICATORS OF SECTOR REGULATORS

The Indicators on the Governance of Sector Regulators capture the governance arrangements of economic regulators in the energy, e-communications, rail transport, air transport and water sectors. The indicators are structured around three pillars: independence, accountability and scope of action. They are based on the OECD Best Practice Principles for Regulatory Policy and further guidance developed by the OECD Network of Economic Regulators.

A comprehensive mapping of regulators in OECD and some non-OECD countries is available for the years 2013 and 2018, although scope and content of the questionnaire changed between these two vintages. The results allow for benchmarking of governance arrangements across countries and sectors and provide a tool for regulatory agencies to assess their arrangements against good practice.