Lead Economist in the Energy Anchor of the World Bank

Track A,  Session 7

SHORT BIOGRAPHY

Maria is currently Lead Economist in the Energy Anchor of the World Bank.
Before joining the Bank, Maria was Lead Economist for the Energy Business Group at the EBRD, leading policy dialogue initiatives on regulatory reforms in the power andtelecom sectors.
Previously, she was Lecturer in Economics at the University of Edinburgh.
Maria holds an M.Phil. in Economics from the University of Oxford and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Warwick.
She has been involved in several research and policy projects on infrastructure regulation and she is author of several publications in this area.

ABSTRACT SUMMARY

"Revisiting Standard PolicyRecommendations for the Market Structure in the Power Sector: Evidence fromDeveloping Countries"

This presentation will share preliminary results of a Bank's research and policy project, sponsored by ESMAP and PPIAF, based on case studies and more systematic empirical analysis on about 20 developing countries on the links between alternative forms of powermarket structure and performance - including not only access and quality but also investment in generation and transmission. The analytical framework on which this project is based is expected to provide policy makers and regulators some guidance on the best suitable market structure to fit country characteristics (power size, income per capita, regulatory capacity etc.) In addition, the project will shed new light on the regulatory instruments needed to tackle the most relevant policy issues associated to each of the powermarket structures.