Now in their twenty-eighth year, The Beesley Lectures were founded by Professor Michael Beesley, one of the most influential regulatory economists of his time. Held in partnership with the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Centre for Competition and Regulatory Policy at City, University of London, the series attracts the foremost thinkers in government, industry and academia.

The series of lectures address the latest developments in energy, water, transport, telecoms and banking regulation as well as competition policy. This year’s series coms at a time of political uncertainty, which provides both an opportunity and a need for change.

In 2018, the series attracted over 1000 attendees, including economists working for regulators, competition authorities, and companies in regulated sectors or in consulting, as well as policy makers, academics and lawyers.

The lectures take place each Wednesday evening between 2nd October and 20th November. 

Evenings will begin at 6:30pm and delegates are encouraged to network over refreshments until 7pm, when the lecture will commence. A leading economist or industry figure will speak for one hour and a specialist will provide a 20-minute response before handing over to the audience for further discussion. Each lecture will end at 8:45pm followed by drinks and canapes to continue the discussion.

The programme of lectures will run as follows:

2nd October – LECTURE 1: A critical appraisal of the role of energy suppliers in a technology-driven market
Lecturer – Mary Starks, Executive Director, Consumer and Markets Directorate, Ofgem

9th October – LECTURE 2: A new future for the public utilities under a Labour government
Lecturer – James Meadway, Former Economic Advisor to the Shadow Chancellor, Labour Party

16th October – LECTURE 3: Regulating the water industry by social contract
Lecturer – Rachel Fletcher, Chief Executive Officer, Ofwat

23rd October – LECTURE 4: Concluding the 40-year utilities experiment: death by spirals or rebirth
Lecturer – Chris Harris, Head of Regulation, npower

30th October – LECTURE 5 : Protecting consumers and investors in an era of lower returns
Lecturer – Stephen Wright, Professor of Economics, Birckbeck University of London

6th November – LECTURE 6: How can innovation challenge capacity market design in the UK and beyond?
Lecturer – Sara Bell, Chief Executive Officer, Tempus Energy

13th November – LECTURE 7: Applying economics to the internet: can regulators and competition authorities keep pace?
Lecturer – Oliver Bethall, Head of Competition EMEA, Google

20th November – LECTURE 8: Evaluating the framework for regulators in energy, water and telecoms
Lecturer – James Richardson, Chief Economist, National Infrastructure Commission

for more details on these lectures and to book your place.

Future Water Association is proud to support the Beesley Lecture Series 2019