Regionalizing Telecommunications Reform in West Africa

In recent years, there has been an increasing recognition that significant welfare gains could be realized through deep forms of regional integration which entail harmonization of legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks. Reforms that reduce...

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Main Authors:	Kessides, Ioannis N., Noll, Roger G., Benjamin, Nancy C.
Format:	Policy Research Working Paper
Language:	English
Published:	2012
Subjects:	INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE BENEFITS REGIONALIZED TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY REGIONAL INTEGRATION REGULATORY POLICY TECHNICAL EXPERTISE TRADE BARRIERS WELFARE GAINS
Online Access:	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20091111153540 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/4316

id	okr-10986-4316
recordtype	oai_dc
spelling	okr-10986-43162021-04-23T14:02:17Z Regionalizing Telecommunications Reform in West Africa Kessides, Ioannis N. Noll, Roger G. Benjamin, Nancy C. INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE BENEFITS REGIONALIZED TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY REGIONAL INTEGRATION REGULATORY POLICY TECHNICAL EXPERTISE TRADE BARRIERS WELFARE GAINS In recent years, there has been an increasing recognition that significant welfare gains could be realized through deep forms of regional integration which entail harmonization of legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks. Reforms that reduce cross-border transaction costs and improve the performance of backbone infrastructure services are arguably even more important for the creation of an open, unified regional economic space than trade policy reforms narrowly defined. This paper assesses the potential gains from regionalized telecommunications policy in West Africa. To this end, the paper: (i) discusses how regional cooperation can overcome national limits in technical expertise, enhance the capacity of nations credibly to commit to stable regulatory policy, and ultimately facilitate infrastructure investment in the region; (ii) identifies trade-distorting regulations that inhibit opportunities for regional trade and economic development, and so are good candidates for regional trade negotiations to reduce indirect trade barriers; and (iii) describes substantive elements of a harmonized regional regulatory policy that can deliver immediate performance benefits. 2012-03-19T19:13:50Z 2012-03-19T19:13:50Z 2009-11-01 http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20091111153540 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/4316 English Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 5126 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper West Africa
repository_type	Digital Repository
institution_category	Foreign Institution
institution	Digital Repositories
building	World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection	World Bank
language	English
topic	INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE BENEFITS REGIONALIZED TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY REGIONAL INTEGRATION REGULATORY POLICY TECHNICAL EXPERTISE TRADE BARRIERS WELFARE GAINS
spellingShingle	INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE BENEFITS REGIONALIZED TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY REGIONAL INTEGRATION REGULATORY POLICY TECHNICAL EXPERTISE TRADE BARRIERS WELFARE GAINS Kessides, Ioannis N. Noll, Roger G. Benjamin, Nancy C. Regionalizing Telecommunications Reform in West Africa
geographic_facet	West Africa
relation	Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 5126
description	In recent years, there has been an increasing recognition that significant welfare gains could be realized through deep forms of regional integration which entail harmonization of legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks. Reforms that reduce cross-border transaction costs and improve the performance of backbone infrastructure services are arguably even more important for the creation of an open, unified regional economic space than trade policy reforms narrowly defined. This paper assesses the potential gains from regionalized telecommunications policy in West Africa. To this end, the paper: (i) discusses how regional cooperation can overcome national limits in technical expertise, enhance the capacity of nations credibly to commit to stable regulatory policy, and ultimately facilitate infrastructure investment in the region; (ii) identifies trade-distorting regulations that inhibit opportunities for regional trade and economic development, and so are good candidates for regional trade negotiations to reduce indirect trade barriers; and (iii) describes substantive elements of a harmonized regional regulatory policy that can deliver immediate performance benefits.
format	Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
author	Kessides, Ioannis N. Noll, Roger G. Benjamin, Nancy C.
author_facet	Kessides, Ioannis N. Noll, Roger G. Benjamin, Nancy C.
author_sort	Kessides, Ioannis N.
title	Regionalizing Telecommunications Reform in West Africa
title_short	Regionalizing Telecommunications Reform in West Africa
title_full	Regionalizing Telecommunications Reform in West Africa
title_fullStr	Regionalizing Telecommunications Reform in West Africa
title_full_unstemmed	Regionalizing Telecommunications Reform in West Africa
title_sort	regionalizing telecommunications reform in west africa
publishDate	2012
url	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20091111153540 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/4316
_version_	1764390895408381952

Regionalizing Telecommunications Reform in West Africa

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