Economic regulators oversee key network sectors that offer critical services. These regulatory authorities play a key role in market functioning and safeguarding the public interest, intervening at the interface between political authorities, businesses and citizens. Many governments choose to grant a degree of independence to economic regulators to limit political influence over their decision making. This independence, when combined with accountability and transparency measures, maintains their credibility and predictability for investors, operators and consumers. Even the perception of bias can hinder regulators’ capacity and credibility as referees mediating between stakeholders and their interests. Robust governance arrangements can safeguard their capacity for technical decision making free from undue influence. Countries can implement a range of such governance arrangements, including establishing legally independent regulators to signal a commitment to long-term goals beyond political cycles.