Politics of regulatory form: an analysis of policy choice in environmental regulation

Thesis/Dissertation · Sat Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:5166580

Cook, B J

With regulation, especially in areas such as environmental quality, under close scrutiny, knowledge of the actions taken by regulators and other actors involved in the regulatory process to implement legislative mandates is critical to an adequate understanding of the many dimensions of regulatory change. Especially important is information on decisions made about what form regulation is to take (e.g., centralized legal commands versus decentralized economic incentives). This case study is an exploration of administrative decisions about regulatory form. The author examines the development of the US Environmental Protection Agency's regulatory reform initiatives in air pollution control. Two questions guided the research: (1) what major political concerns are raised by attempts to alter existing forms of regulation. (2) What major factors influence policy makers faced with the decision to change regulatory form. Results from semi-structured interviews with decision makers and commentators involved in the EPA process, and analysis of legislative and administrative policy actions, indicate that implementation issues, political concerns, and philosophical worries, especially those stemming from conflicting ideological views about the organization of social institutions, are central to the politics of regulatory form.

• Research Organization: Maryland Univ., College Park (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5166580
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290300* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
CONTROL
DECISION MAKING
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
POLITICAL ASPECTS
POLLUTION CONTROL
REGULATIONS
US EPA
US ORGANIZATIONS