Sadiuk A. Price liberalization in potentially competitive sectors of railway enterprise operations

The thesis is dedicated to substantiation of theoretical and methodical provisions and application-oriented recommendations regarding price liberalization in potentially competitive sectors of rail enterprise operations. As a result of the analysis of the content and essence of the categorical-conceptual apparatus, such concepts as ‘price liberalization in potentially competitive sectors of activity of rail enterprises’, ‘competition advocating’ were defined. An author's understanding of the essence of the conditions preceding the price liberalization in the studied sectors of rail enterprises is proposed. Factors affecting the price liberalization in the sectors of rail enterprises are determined using the generated classification of the price liberalization impact factors. In addition, conditions were determined in which those factors have a beneficial effect. Principles and conditions of price liberalization in the rail sector were investigated and substantiated. Conceptual basis for price liberalization in potentially competitive sectors of rail enterprises with a foundation consisting of a set of areas whose implementation is focused on stakeholders and based on social interests and eliminates the occurrence of investment traps were proposed and justified. It contributes to the gradual easing of state price regulation and expansion limits of economic freedom when setting prices for the products of rail enterprises operating in potentially competitive sectors. Concrete suggestions and recommendations were made for regulatory improvement and competition advocating in relation to price liberalization, and the RAB regulatory framework was devised for price liberalization. The mechanism of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine operation as the competition advocating subject in the studied sectors was developed with the proposal of the advocating field that requires further development in rail transport, etc. A methodological approach was developed to evaluate options for price liberalization in potentially competitive sectors of rail enterprises. It was based on determining the needs for fixed assets, assessing the permissible limit of tariff increases, calculating the initial parameters of the scenarios based on a renewal strategy of fixed assets for the long term, (cost level, required gross revenue, changes in tariff levels), choosing developed scenarios based on comparing the values of scenarios of changes in tariff levels and the acceptable level of their increase, selecting satisfactory scenarios based on comparing the magnitude of changes in tariff levels and projected tariff levels. Evaluation of options for price liberalization in potentially competitive sectors of Ukraine's rail transport showed that the use of scenarios in the process of RAB-regulation will allow to control the dynamics of tariff increases. This will help maintain its intensity below the dynamics of forecast values of the tariff index for rail freight.