India Competition & Regulation Report (ICRR) III Cycle
QUESTIONNAIRE (India Competition Perception Survey)
Background (Why the Survey?)
India embarked on the path of economic reforms in early 1990s by shifting to market-driven economic policies. The thrust of economic reforms has been to allow for more competition resulting in better quality, lower prices and adequate levels of consumption.
Regulation of markets is however needed under certain circumstances to ensure that their working is not impeded through barriers created by market players i.e. markets continue to offer wide choice, with enough supplies available. Accordingly, changes are being made in the economic governance system of the country. This includes changing government policies/ measures; amending existing legislations or enacting new ones such as a new competition law,Idian Competition Act 2002, amended in 2007 (ICA); establishment of sector regulatory bodies in telecom, electricity, etc. All such measures are designed to ensure that markets function well in the new economic policy regime and yield desired results.
Now that the country is following a policy of market-oriented economic reforms for the past two decades, there is a need to assess the perception of stakeholders about the competition and regulation regimes prevailing in the country and also on the quality of regulation. Accordingly, a questionnaire has been designed to get feedback from stakeholders on the following four broad issues:
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Awareness/knowledge regarding competition and regulatory Issues
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Assessment of the quality of regulation
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Assessment of the level of competition and nature of practices that prevail in the economy
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Opinion about the nature and impact of government policies/measures
The questionnaires consist of 25(objective-type, multiple choice) questions .We thank you in advance for your valued cooperation and assure you of strict confidentiality. Neither your name nor the name of your organisation will be revealed in any document based on this survey.
*Mandatory Fields
*Name:
*Organisation:
Address:
*City/State:
*Email:
*Please identify the stakeholder group you belong to, by clicking the radio button against relevant category:
Each question below has various options. We request you to please give your response by selecting the most appropriate option. Please select only one response by clicking the radio button unless otherwise mentioned.
PART:A
I. Level of Competition that Prevails in the economy
1. Is there enough choice in the following products?
2. As a consumer, how easy it is to get following essential services/utilities?
3. Suppose, you wish to switch suppliers, how easy it is to do so? Answer this question for all the services listed below:
4. How good is the quality of service under the following heads?
II. Nature of practices that prevail in the market place
5. Sellers run promotional schemes to attract customers. It seems to have become a competitive necessity to run such schemes to realise sales, profits and market share objectives. Please indicate your opinion on such schemes:
6. We often face the practice of ‘Tied selling’ (viz., doctors asking patients to get diagnostic tests done from prescribed laboratories/schools asking students to buy uniforms from prescribed shops/sellers). It is argued that this is a way to ensure quality. Do you think that this practice is appropriate?
7. Presently certain professions (medical, accounting, legal etc.) are restricted from advertising their members/services. Do you think that such restrictions are justified?
8. Certain industries in the country are characterised by one or two dominant firms. Please indicate if you think that such dominance is a matter of concern.
9. In products like pharmaceuticals or FMCG goods, there are often complaints that producer have to concede sizable profit margins to retailer to get their products sold. Do you feel such practices raise the final price for consumers?
10. In case a monopolistic supplier increases service charges/price of product sold, significantly, do you feel that the Competition Commission of India is empowered/will be able to investigate such anti-competitive actions.
11. There exist cartels in several sectors of the economy. Do you think that the existing mechanisms (e.g. competition authority, consumer forums, any other agency at state/sub-state level) for addressing such practices are effective?
12. Are you aware of regulators in telecom, electricity sectors?
13. What do you think the role of a regulator is?
14. There may be several tariff/regulatory orders of independent regulators (viz. TRAI). Do you think that the regulators have been effective in enforcing their orders at the local level?
15. Have you or your fellow stakeholders ever been invited to participate in stakeholders’ meetings organised by regulators?
16. If yes, was the meeting participatory?
17. The attributes of quality of regulation are independence, accountability, transparency and integrity. How can the quality of regulation be improved? Please rank these measures on a scale of 1-4 (choose only 1, 2, 3 or 4) in order of increasing importance.
18. How would you rate the quality of regulation in India on a scale of 0-4 (Very poor=0 and Excellent=4)? Choose only among numbers 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4.
19. Some government laws are designed to address Public Safety/Environmental concerns. The government argues that this would help to ensure proper enforcement of related regulations and serve its stated objectives. Do you think this is the right approach?
20. Do you think that controlling the price of all essential drugs is the right way of ensuring affordability and access?
21. India has experimented with price control of select patented products. Do you think that such action of fixing prices is the right way to protect interest of consumers?
22. There are several instances of intervention in pricing of essential commodities to make them affordable to ordinary consumers/farmers; while the overall objective behind such intervention may be desirable, please indicate if you think the manner of government intervention is right?
23. Government often gives purchase preference to public sector units in government procurement in order to ensure their viability in the long run. Do you think such a preference policy is right?
24. There is presently a trend to appoint retired/retiring bureaucrats and judges as regulators. Do you think it is right to appoint them as regulators?
25. Do you think policy directives/fees & charges announced by a Minister/Department affect the functioning/autonomy of a regulator.
THE SURVEY ENDS HERE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR COOPERATION
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