Regulation is on the rise across the world as the state steps back from public ownership. However, as the authors highlight, the style of political delegation to regulatory authorities has not followed a uniform trajectory but rather institutional endowments, administrative traditions, market structure and business culture have all influenced the creation of regulatory authorities and implementation styles. Noting these variances, the focus of this book is to consider the impact of liberalisation and the introduction of new regulatory structures on three utility sectors - telecommunications, energy and the railways - using Germany and the UK as case studies.

With regulation seeking to foster competition at the same time as also having to protect essential services, the authors investigate regulatory styles, costs of new regulatory functions and how firms in the new regulatory landscape access and influence regulatory authorities. The authors consider how EU pressures may hinder or help the functioning of new regulatory markets and the establishment of business-regulator relationships, as well as the broader policy implications for these new regulatory environments. The book also determines how regulatory authorities emerge and evolve under different state traditions and assesses, over time, the degree to which there is potential for convergence, divergence and continued differences as regulatory functions mature.

This book will be warmly welcomed by researchers and academics of comparative public policy, politics and regulation. It will also appeal to policy makers and the business community in Europe.