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Regulatory Policy (regulatory + policy)
Selected AbstractsAmerican Regulatory Policy: Factors Affecting Trends Over the Past CenturyPOLICY STUDIES JOURNAL, Issue 3 2003Thomas Vocino This article examines American regulatory policy over the past century and the factors that have affected its development. Among the trends analyzed are the movement away from independent regulatory commissions, the larger role played by the institutional presidency vis-a-vis the Congress in the regulatory arena, and the growing resistance of states and localities to national government regulation and "unfunded mandates." [source] Regulation, productivity and growth: OECD evidenceECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 36 2003Giuseppe Nicoletti SUMMARY Liberalization and privatization have made the regulatory environment more market-friendly throughout the OECD. However using a large new dataset on product market regulation, we show that regulatory policies in OECD nations have become more dissimilar in relative terms, even as all nations have liberalized. This seemingly contradictory finding is explained by different starting points and different reform speeds. Our data also show that this divergence in the regulatory settings lines up with the divergent growth performance of OECD nations, in particular the poor performance of large Continental economies relative to that of the US. The data, which tracks various types of product market regulation in manufacturing and service industries for 18 OECD economies over the past two decades, allows us to explore this link in detail. We find that productivity growth is boosted by reforms that promote private corporate governance and competition (where these are viable). Moreover, our detailed findings suggest how product market regulation and productivity growth are linked. In manufacturing, the productivity gains from liberalization are greater the further a given country is from the technology leader. This indicates that entry-limiting regulation may hinder the adoption of existing technologies, possibly by reducing competitive pressures, technology spillovers, or the entry of new high-tech firms. These results offer an interpretation of poor Continental performance. Strict product market regulations , and lack of regulatory reforms , appear to underlie the meagre productivity performance of some European countries, especially in those industries where Europe has accumulated a technology gap (e.g. industries producing or using information and communication technologies). , Giuseppe Nicoletti and Stefano Scarpetta [source] Impact of genomic technologies on regulatory policies,Presentations at the 37th annual meeting of the Environmental Mutagen Society,ENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS, Issue 5 2007Kerry L. Dearfield No abstract is available for this article. [source] The European Commission: The Limits of Centralization and the Perils of ParliamentarizationGOVERNANCE, Issue 3 2002Giandomenico MajoneArticle first published online: 17 DEC 200 The idea of an inevitable process of centralization in the European Community (EC)/European Union (EU) is a myth. Also, the metaphor of "creeping competences," with its suggestion of a surreptitious but continuous growth of the powers of the Commission, can be misleading. It is true that the functional scope of EC/EU competences has steadily increased, but the nature of new competences has changed dramatically, as may be seen from the evolution of the methods of harmonization. The original emphasis on total harmonization, which gives the Community exclusive competence over a given policy area, has been largely replaced by more flexible but less "communitarian" methods such as optional and minimum harmonization, reference to nonbinding technical standards, and mutual recognition. Finally, the treaties of Maastricht and Amsterdam explicitly excluded harmonization for most new competences. Thus, the expansion of the jurisdiction of the EC/EU has not automatically increased the powers of the Commission, but has actually weakened them in several respects. In addition, the progressive parliamentarization of the Commission risks compromising its credibility as an independent regulator, without necessarily enhancing its democratic legitimacy. Since the member states continue to oppose any centralization of regulatory powers, even in areas essential to the functioning of the internal market, the task of implementing Community policies should be entrusted to networks of independent national and European regulators, roughly modeled on the European System of Central Banks. The Commission would coordinate and monitor the activities of these networks in order to ensure the coherence of EC regulatory policies. More generally, it should bring its distinctive competence more clearly into focus by concentrating on the core business of ensuring the development and proper functioning of the single European market. This is a more modest role than that of the kernel of a future government of Europe, but it is essential to the credibility of the integration process and does not overstrain the limited financial and legitimacy resources available to the Commission. [source] A post Keynesian critique of privatization policies in transition economiesJOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2002John Marangos The privatization policies implemented in transition economies were based on the neoclassical principles of economic thought. The neoclassical privatization policies contributed to the well-known results of a large reduction in output, high unemployment and inflation and a breakdown of institutional norms resulting in corruption and illegal activities. For the post Keynesians, there could have been a transition to a market economy without a substantial change in property ownership. This was because ownership, as such, was less important than competition, the incentive structure and the nature of regulatory policies. Consequently, post Keynesian policies of privatization would had resulted in a substantially smaller social cost of transition. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Regulation and Social SolidarityJOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY, Issue 3 2006Tony Prosser Justifications for regulation are commonly based on the identification of market failures. This is however inadequate to account for much regulation, and sees regulation as inherently second best to market allocations. This article argues that, although some regulation will be based on market failure, other justifications can be found in the protection of rights and in the maintenance of social solidarity. Theoretical support for this last rationale can be found in the work of Durkheim and Duguit and the concept of public service. To accept this rationale for regulation has important implications both for regulatory policies and regulatory instruments. [source] Globalization as Boundary-Blurring: International and Local Law Firms in China's Corporate Law MarketLAW & SOCIETY REVIEW, Issue 4 2008Sida Liu The worldwide expansion of international law firms has generated regulatory battles and workplace conflicts in advanced market economies as well as developing countries. This article uses the case of China to explore the changing global,local relationship in the globalization of the legal profession and to understand the role of the government in constituting the corporate law market. The author argues that the globalization of the Chinese corporate law market is a process of boundary-blurring and hybridization, by which local firms become structurally global-looking and global firms receive localized expertise. Boundary-blurring occurs in law firms' workplaces, in lawyers' career trajectories, and in state regulatory policies. It has produced a localized expertise that can be diffused conversely from local firms to global firms and has partially changed their relationship from collaboration to competition. Consequently, it becomes increasingly difficult for the government to make or enforce any substantive policy to clarify the market boundary between these two types of law firms. [source] Infrastructure policy in Asian developing countriesASIAN-PACIFIC ECONOMIC LITERATURE, Issue 1 2010Peter McCawley The urgent need for very large increases in investment in infrastructure in most developing countries in Asia is very clear. This paper surveys the challenges facing policymakers in the region. Nearly all of the main concerns for policymakers in Asia in addressing the global infrastructure imbalance are on the supply side. In particular, there are seven related supply-side issues that are of high priority for policymakers: selection and preparation of appropriate projects, finance, pricing, access, governance and management, policy and regulatory policies, and climate change. Governments and utilities need to improve their policies and performance to build confidence among stakeholders. Access to infrastructure services needs to be improved so that consumers will support realistic pricing policies, and investors will be encouraged to provide finance for infrastructure sectors. [source] Longitudinal validity and responsiveness of the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire , Parent Form in children 0,12 years following positive and negative food challengesCLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY, Issue 3 2010A. DunnGalvin Summary Background There are no published studies of longitudinal health-related quality of life (HRQL) assessments of food-allergic children using a disease-specific measure. Objective This study assessed the longitudinal measurement properties of the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire , Parent Form (FAQLQ-PF) in a sample of children undergoing food challenge. Methods Parents of children 0,12 years completed the FAQLQ-PF and the Food Allergy Independent Measure (FAIM) pre-challenge and at 2 and 6 months post food challenge. In order to evaluate longitudinal validity, differences between Group A (positive challenge) and Group B (negative challenge) were expected over time. We computed correlation coefficients between change scores in the FAQLQ-PF and change scores in the FAIM. To determine the minimally important difference (MID), we used distributional criterion and effect size approaches. A logistic regression model profiled those children falling below this point. Results Eighty-two children underwent a challenge (42 positive; 40 negative). Domains and total score improved significantly at pos-challenge time-points for both groups (all P<0.05). Sensitivity was demonstrated by significant differences between positive and negative groups at 6 months [F(2, 59)=6.221, P<0.003] and by differing improvement on relevant subscales (P<0.05). MID was 0.45 on a seven-point response scale. Poorer quality of life at baseline increased the odds by over 2.0 of no improvement in HRQL scores 6-month time-point. General maternal health (OR 1.252), number of foods avoided (OR 1.369) and children >9 years (OR 1.173) were also predictors. The model correctly identified 84% of cases below MID. Conclusion The FAQLQ-PF is sensitive to change, and has excellent longitudinal reliability and validity in a food-allergic patient population. The standard error of measurement value of 0.5 points as a threshold for meaningful change in HRQL questionnaires was confirmed. The FAQLQ-PF may be used to identify problems in children, to assess the effectiveness of clinical trials or interventions, and to guide the development of regulatory policies. Cite this as: A. DunnGalvin, C. Cullinane, D. A. Daly, B. M. J. Flokstra-de Blok, A. E. J. Dubois and J. O'B. Hourihane, Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 2010 (40) 476,485. [source] Consistent Regulation of Infrastructure Businesses: Some Economic Issues,ECONOMIC PAPERS: A JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECONOMICS AND POLICY, Issue 1 2009Flavio M. Menezes L51 This article examines some important economic issues associated with the notion that consistency in the regulation of infrastructure businesses is a desirable feature. It makes two important points. First, it is not easy to measure consistency. In particular, one cannot simply point to different regulatory parameters as evidence of inconsistent regulatory policy. Second, even if one does observe consistency emerging from decisions made by different regulators, it does not necessarily mean that this consistency is desirable. It might be the result, at least partially, of career concerns of regulators. [source] Life cycle assessment in management, product and process design, and policy decision making: A conference reportINTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2005Joyce Cooper On 24 September 2003, life cycle assessment (LCA) practitioners and decision makers gathered at the InLCA/LCM Conference in Seattle, Washington, USA (see http://www.lcacenter.org/lnLCA-LCM03/index.html) to discuss the role of LCA in management, product design, process development, and regulatory/policy development decisions and to compare life cycle-based methods and tools with traditional product evaluation methods and tools. This article is a summary of that meeting and was prepared by the organizers as an overview of the many different technical, regulatory policy, and decision-making policy perspectives presented to an international gathering of participants representing academia and the industrial and regulatory communities. [source] Does Private Money Buy Public Policy?JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS & MANAGEMENT STRATEGY, Issue 3 2007Campaign Contributions, Regulatory Outcomes in Telecommunications To what extent can market participants affect the outcomes of regulatory policy? In this paper, we study the effects of one potential source of influence,campaign contributions,from competing interests in the local telecommunications industry, on regulatory policy decisions of state public utility commissions. Our work is unique in that we test the effects of campaign contributions on measurable policy outcomes. This stands in stark relief against most of the existing literature, which examines potentially noisier measures of policy outcomes,such as the roll-call votes of legislators, to examine how private money may influence public policy. By moving to more direct measures of policy effects, and using a unique new dataset, we find, in contrast to much of the literature on campaign contributions, that there is a significant effect of private money on regulatory outcomes. This result is robust to numerous alternative model specifications. We also assess the extent of omitted variable bias that would have to exist to obviate the estimated result. We find that for our result to be spurious, omitted variables would have to explain more than five times the variation in the mix of private money as is explained by the variables included in our analysis. We consider this to be very unlikely. [source] The consolidation wave in U.S. food retailing: A European perspectiveAGRIBUSINESS : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 4 2001Neil Wrigley This article assesses, from the perspective of a European academic, the intense wave of acquisition and merger driven consolidation that swept through the U.S. food retail industry during the late 1990s. It reviews the characteristics and causes of that consolidation wave, placing emphasis on the regulatory history of the industry, the consequences of its financial reengineering during the 1980s, and the link between Wal-Mart's entry into the industry and the consolidation wave. The article then assesses the extent to which a shift in regulatory policy and practice by the Federal Trade Commission at the very end of the decade may have altered the pattern and scale of consolidation in the industry. Finally, it considers the future landscape of U.S. food retail consolidation, debating the consequences for the consolidation process of the period of FTC regulatory tightening during 1999/2000 and the likely implications of a Bush administration appointee heading the FTC [EconLit Classifications: L810, L190, G340, L400]. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] Proactive consumer consultation: the effect of information provision on response to transgenic animalsJOURNAL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, Issue 3-4 2005David Castle A national study is reported which proactively engaged 1365 Canadian consumers and solicited their opinions concerning new transgenic salmon and pork products which have not yet entered the marketplace. Respondents were methodically requested to provide initial free-association responses, and then scaled responses to product concepts about which progressively more information was revealed. This combined qualitative and quantitative method was pursued in order to determine initial knowledge levels and subsequent responses with a minimal amount of cueing via question probes. The results indicate that disclosure concerning benefits and risks of these new technologies did not harm judgements about them or estimates of purchase intent. A significant determinant of opinions was the gender of the respondent. Females were more negatively predisposed overall to the concepts and more sensitive to specific information regarding product benefits and risks. The research offers a methodological template for public consultation and communication pre-testing for new biotechnological products. Implications for regulatory policy and information dissemination for new food biotechnology products are discussed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Regulating a Monopolist with Unknown Demand: Costly Public Funds and the Value of Private InformationJOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMIC THEORY, Issue 5 2004Iñaki Aguirre In this paper, we analyze the optimal regulation policy when the regulated firm has better information concerning the market demand than the regulator. We show that introducing a cost on public funds into the Planner's objective function does not lead to qualitative results similar to those obtained by introducing distributional considerations. In particular we show that under constant marginal cost the full information policy is not implementable and that the optimal regulatory policy results in informational rents. The social value of private information and the firm's informational rents are both increasing functions of the cost of the public funds. [source] Universal access to water and sanitation: Why the private sector must participateNATURAL RESOURCES FORUM, Issue 4 2003Terence Lee Abstract Against the background of the current state of provision of drinking water and sanitation in the world , with one billion lacking safe water, and 2.2 billion not having adequate sanitation , this article argues that private participation is necessary. The most important issues for the management of water utilities in the 21st century are identified as mobilizing investment for the highly capital intensive operation of water supply and sanitation infrastructure, and achieving efficiency in the delivery of services. The article highlights the issues that need to be raised if private investment is to be seriously considered as an alternative. Case studies, especially from Latin America (Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia), illustrate different modes of private participation, and possible reasons for successes and failures are discussed. The article stresses that regardless of the modality of private sector involvement, on-going government regulatory responsibility in the water sector is crucial. It suggests that regulatory policy must go beyond just setting tariffs, to develop standards for drinking water quality and waste treatment, as well as other standards. In conclusion, the article recognizes that numerous and increasingly difficult challenges face utilities in fulfilling their responsibility to deliver drinking water of adequate quality, in sufficient quantity, and at affordable prices, as well as safe and sustainable disposal of wastewaters for members of urban and rural communities. [source] American Regulatory Policy: Factors Affecting Trends Over the Past CenturyPOLICY STUDIES JOURNAL, Issue 3 2003Thomas Vocino This article examines American regulatory policy over the past century and the factors that have affected its development. Among the trends analyzed are the movement away from independent regulatory commissions, the larger role played by the institutional presidency vis-a-vis the Congress in the regulatory arena, and the growing resistance of states and localities to national government regulation and "unfunded mandates." [source] FRONTIER EFFICIENCY MEASUREMENT IN DEPOSIT-TAKING FINANCIAL MUTUALS: A REVIEW OF TECHNIQUES, APPLICATIONS, AND FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONSANNALS OF PUBLIC AND COOPERATIVE ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2010Andrew C. Worthington ABSTRACT,:,Despite the global importance of mutuals in financial services, and the universal need to measure and improve organizational efficiency in all deposit-taking institutions, it is only relatively recently that the most advanced econometric and mathematical programming frontier techniques have been applied. This paper provides a synoptic survey of the comparatively few empirical analyses of frontier efficiency measurement in deposit-taking financial mutuals, comprising savings and loans, building societies and credit unions in Australia, the UK, and the USA. Both estimation and measurement techniques and the determinants of efficiency are examined. Particular focus is placed on how the results of these studies may help inform regulatory policy and managerial behaviour. [source] Regulating Public Transit Networks: How do Urban-Intercity Diversification and Speed-up Measures Affect Firms' Cost Performance?ANNALS OF PUBLIC AND COOPERATIVE ECONOMICS, Issue 2 2004Giovanni Fraquelli In this study we estimate a translogarithmic variable cost function to assess the behaviour of returns to scale and the impact of network characteristics. The analysis is based on a sample of 45 Italian municipal companies observed from 1996 to 1998 and including both specialized and mixed transit operators. Results confirm previous evidence on the existence of natural monopoly in the industry and support a regulation introducing competitive tenders to access to the market. In addition, we provide insights about the advantages associated with urban-intercity diversification and with the improvement of network commercial speed. Cost benefits can then be achieved by promoting mergers between neighbouring firms, so as to create new companies operating on integrated local networks and supplying in combination urban and intercity public transport. Implications of such a strategy for the design of tender mechanisms are also underlined, together with the need for a regulatory policy which takes more care of speed-up measures. [source] Optimal management of the New Zealand longfin eel (Anguilla dieffenbachii),AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL & RESOURCE ECONOMICS, Issue 4 2005Graeme J. Doole Annual recruitment of the New Zealand longfin eel (Anguilla dieffenbachii) has decreased by 75 per cent since significant levels of commercial fishing began in the early 1970s. This motivates application of a multiple-cohort bioeconomic model to a New Zealand longfin eel fishery to investigate its optimal management and ascertain the suitability of existing regulatory policy. The use of historical harvest to calculate total allowable catch is asserted to be unsustainable based on recovery dynamics. In addition, individual transferable quota systems are argued to be fundamentally flawed for the protection of longfin fisheries because of high-grading, low-surplus production and a current lack of effective stock-assessment procedures. Area closure and the spatial definition of harvest rights are attractive alternatives given the territoriality of longfins and high larval spillover. The importance of unfished reserves is reinforced when significant uncertainties regarding population strength, harvest intensity and growth dynamics are considered. Restriction of exploitation to older cohorts in fished areas is demonstrated to maximise economic yield. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||