Public rules
How should the state set rules for this market?
Laws, regulations and policy decisions made by governments, regulators and public bodies.
Fewer than ten resolved cases. Read this page as a set of examples, not as a base rate.
What the cases suggest
Public rules in the record are mostly recent and their effects not yet settled. India’s two payment decisions show the pattern of fast, sweeping policy: large effects on behaviour, with costs falling on those with the fewest alternatives and questions about who pays left unresolved.
What separated the decisions that worked
- Rules that changed defaults or prices had quick, measurable effects; rules that required transparency or choice depend on how firms comply and how regulators enforce.
Where this evidence is weak
With few cases and most of them too early to judge, this group cannot yet support any base rate.
By who decided
| Decision-maker | Cases | Paid off | Mixed | Backfired | Too early |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public body | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
The cases
Each links to the essay, memo or road not taken where the decision is described and judged, with its sources.
- Withdraw ₹500 and ₹1,000 banknotes as legal tender with four hours’ notice Shock policies change behaviour, but the costs fall on those with the fewest alternatives.
- Set the merchant discount rate on UPI and RuPay debit payments to zero by law Free to the user is never free; decide deliberately who pays, or the market will decide for you.
- Require designated gatekeepers to allow alternative app stores, sideloading and outside payment, and ban self-preferencing Rules written in advance change behaviour only if their enforcement is credible.
- Require the largest platforms to explain their recommender systems and offer at least one option not based on profiling Giving people a choice matters less than which option you make the default.
Other kinds of decision
- Opening or closing
- Business model and pricing
- Make, buy or partner
- Acquisitions and sales
- Technology bets
- Product design
- New categories and markets
- Distribution and positioning
- Focus, exit and investment
- Trust, safety and privacy
- Executing large change
- Organisation and governance
Shrikant Kumar. “Public rules.” The Telos Decision Record, Telos, version of 2026-11-03. https://shrikantk.com/record/regulation/