Comparative research on regional regulators’ associations: A theory-driven path for progress

Since the 1990s regional economic communities have been increasingly involved in the development of model telecommunications policies and regulations. Through semi-independent regional regulators’ associations, these communities aim to harmonize telecommunications policy and regulation across member states in hopes of stimulating cross-border investments and market development. To fully understand the role and effects of these administrative bodies, analyses are needed within and between a variety of regions. The research described herein facilitates such analyses by providing a series of theoretically derived propositions developed with reference to a number of regions including the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the European Union (EU).