Author: RPI Research Group

Insights into Regulation

The Insolence of Office

The second in the new Insights into Regulation series of short blogs addresses the causes and effects of a highly dysfunctional ‘division of labour’ in government, with a focus on misdirection and distraction in the application of effort The title is taken from Hamlet’s soliloquy (“To be, or not to be …) and the notion of the insolence of officialdom was, at a later time, a repeated trope in the major works of Adam Smith.

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Announcements

The changing role of independent economic regulators in decision-making for major infrastructure projects in the UK

The RPI Research Group is currently developing a programme of work to explore the evolution of decision-making processes for major infrastructure projects. It will investigate the role and effectiveness of independent regulators in this process, identifying the conflicts and ambiguities that have emerged from increasing tensions between the traditional role of an independent regulator and the emerging strategic priorities of government. The programme seeks to draw conclusions about the impacts that these tensions have had on accountability, forecasting in the context of uncertainty, adaptation to changes in technology, and incentivisation of investment; asking if a new decision-making paradigm which reconciles the often conflicting priorities of government and independent regulator, while capturing the long-term nature of such investments, is required.

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Announcements

New Programme of Work

The RPI Research Group is currently in the process developing a programme of work under the general thematic heading “Rethinking Regulation”, which is also the theme for the RPI’s events activities as countries gradually emerge from the Covid period. This reflects a view that institutional arrangements for, and associated policies toward, the regulation of commercial activity would benefit from rather fundamental reviews in the light of changing economic contexts triggered by factors such as Covid, climate change issues, and, in the specific cases of the UK and EU, Brexit. The research programme is being developed in cooperation with the RPI’s sister network, the Regulatory Policy Institute of Australia and New Zealand. To get involved, please see further on the ‘About’ page and fill in the Enquiries form below.

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Documents

Rethinking Regulation

The purpose of this document is to seek support for, and encourage participation in, the future research programme of the Regulatory Policy Institute in the UK, in co-operation with its sister network, the Regulatory Policy Institute of Australia and New Zealand (RPI ANZ).

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Announcements

Public Institutional Approaches to Renewable Energy Innovation

The RPI Research Group is currently in the process of developing a programme of work which explores the most effective approaches to public institutional initiative in support of renewable energy innovation. To get involved, please see further on the ‘About’ page and fill in the Enquiries form below.

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Announcements

Regulation to Promote the Optimal Integration of Variable Renewable Energy

The RPI Research Group is currently in the process of developing a programme of work which explores how regulation in conjunction with policy might promote the integration of variable renewable energy technologies into the electricity system in a lowest cost manner. This research programme is being developed with input from experts in Energy Systems and Policy at UCL Bartlett , Energy System Catapult and the Investec Power & Utilities Research Team. To get involved, please see further on the ‘About’ page and fill in the Enquiries form below.

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