The LSE Short Course on Regulation

The course looks at how regulation operates on the ground, but also covers regulatory theory and all stages of the regulatory process - from law and rule-making to risk management, institutional frameworks and enforcement. It considers regulation from the perspectives of economists, lawyers, sociologists, political scientists and others. Individual seminars and workshops examine not merely how regulation ought to be carried out and evaluated, but how regulation tends to develop and how its incidence and shape can be explained. We cover the utilities, financial and other sectors; and also consider European issues.

The course is intended for UK, EU and overseas participants who have varying familiarity with regulation. It both introduces participants to key issues, and develops understandings of these. The week is of particular value to professionals who are moving into regulatory affairs from other areas (no prior knowledge of regulation or economics will be assumed).

The course is led by Professor Robert Baldwin, Professor of Law at LSE, and taught by a highly experienced group of academics from the Law and Government departments at LSE, as well as by practitioners with first-hand expertise on regulatory issues.

Participants may have the following roles:

• Regulation managers
• Regulators
• Regulatory affairs staff
• Legal staff
• Consultants
• Accountants and finance managers
• Economists

Dates

• Monday 8th December - Friday 12th December 2008
• Monday 23 March - Friday 27 March 2009

Fees

The cost of tuition for this course is £1,950 + VAT.

This includes lunches and the end of course drinks reception, but does not include accommodation.

Special academic rates and discounts for LSE alumni are available on application.

If you would like to enrol in this course, please complete our Open enrolment form.

Course outline

Day 1

• Introduction
• Why regulate?
• What is good regulation?
• Explaining regulation
• How regulation fails - unintended effects
• Current issues in water regulation

Day 2

• Techniques of regulation (a): commands and alternatives
• Techniques of regulation (b): rules and standards
• The European dimension I
• The European dimension II
• Utilities regulation and Europe
• The re-regulation of electricity markets

Day 3

• Risk regulation regimes: what are they and why do they vary?
• Risk management
• Cost-benefit testing and regulation
• Working group session 1: cost-benefit testing
• Utilities regulation - regulatory goals and instruments
• Regulating monopolies - price capping

Day 4

• Measuring efficiency - benchmarking, yardsticking and quality
• Regulating access to networks
• Regulation in 'competitive' sectors - the cases of telecommunications and energy supply
• Regulation and competition law
• The future of utilities regulation

Day 5

• Working group session 2: accountability
• Regulatory competition
• Regulation and the judges
• Reforms and prospects
• Franchising

For further information about this course, please contact the course administrator: Miss Amanda Tinnams:

Tel: +44 (0)20 7955 7684
Fax: +44 (0)20 7955 7366
Email: a.tinnams@lse.ac.uk 

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