Parliamentary Oversight of Independent Regulatory Authorities in India
| Author | Surendra Kumar |
| Published date | 01 September 2018 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0019556118780113 |
| Date | 01 September 2018 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Indian Journal of Public
Administration
64(3) 487–501
© 2018 IIPA
SAGE Publications
sagepub.in/home.nav
DOI: 10.1177/0019556118780113
http://journals.sagepub.com/home/ipa
Parliamentary Oversight
of Independent Regulatory
Authorities in India
Surendra Kumar1
Abstract
Independent regulatory authorities have become an important component of
the governance landscape in India and elsewhere. Some regulators have
achieved useful outcomes in India. However, the creation of independent sectoral
regulators in India has not been accompanied by critical reflection on their role,
or attention to the political, legal and institutional contexts within which they
operate. Lessons can be learnt from mature regulatory policy countries, such
as the USA, the UK and Australia, that the regulatory environment needs to be
constantly evaluated to make sure it is keeping pace with the changing technology,
business environment and consumer needs and demands. Despite the number of
bodies in India that are involved or responsible for regulatory reform, there is
one function that seems to be missing and that is of a central oversight function.
Most countries have an explicit whole of government regulatory policy and an
oversight body, sometimes more than one, that is/are responsible for embedding
some of the systemic tools across different parts of the government machinery.
Keywords
Regulation, accountability, regulatory impact assessment, governance, regulatory
capture
Introduction
The onrush of independent regulatory authorities in India is a relatively recent
phenomenon. Originating in the USA, the concept of independent regulation
spread to the Europe and other parts of the world in the 1990s. A study (Jordana,
1 Head, Department of Political Science, B.S. College, Danapur, Patna, Bihar, India.
Corresponding author:
Surendra Kumar, Head, Department of Political Science, B.S. College, Danapur, Patna 800012,
Bihar, India.
E-mail: surendrakumar126@yahoo.co.in
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