Liberalisation and universal access to basic services : telecommunications, water and sanitation, financial services, and electricity.

Description

Building on a OECD/World Bank seminar, this volume explores whether and how trade liberalization can contribute to achieving universal service goals and the types of complementary policies required. It focuses on experiences in four sectors: telecommunications, water and sanitation, financial services, and electricity. A horizontal assessment also helps determine how far the current services negotiations in the WTO, under the General Agreement on Trade in Services, can aid the attainment of universal service goals.--Publisher's description.  Read more... Universal access to telecommunications in a competitive environment / Patrick Xavier -- Uganda's approach to universal access to telecommunications / F.F. Tusubira -- India's experience with universal service obligations in telecommunications / Harasha Vardhana Singh -- Universial access in the water and sanitation sector / Robin Simpson -- Reflection on the goal of universal access in the water and sanitation sector: lessons from Ghana, Senegal and Nepal / Dale Whittington -- Efficiency, equity and liberalisation of water services in Buenos Aires, Argentina / Miguel Solanes -- Universal access to financial services: a review of the issues and public policy objectives / Stijn Claessens -- Provision of financial services in South Africa / Mark Napier -- Regulatory aspects of universal access to financial services in India / Bindu Ananth and Nachiket Mor -- Power sector liberalisation, the poor and multilateral trade commitments / Peter C. Evans -- Power sector liberalisation and access to energy in the Philippines / Romeo Pacudan.