John Francis' analysis of the politics of regulation addresses a key subject within the study of government which is also an issue of wide concern within contemporary political debate. Regulation establishes limits or routines to an activity, aiming to establish appropriate modes of conduct. Within political studies, regulation is of particular importance because it involves asking fundamental questions about the agenda of the public sector, such as - why do governments intervene to control "private" activities?; what factors shape the method of that intervention and determine by whom it is controlled?; and how do governments assess the success of their efforts? Deceptively simple to ask, such questions are complex to answer, given the enormous variety of regulatory regimes in operation - and the alterations in these regimes through time. Drawing on a wide range of case studies (including health care, telecommunications, oil, airlines, banking, the financial services and the environment) from the United States, Britain and the other EC countries, Francis carefully analyzes the institutional and ideological contexts of regulatory policies in action.
Although focusing primarily on the politics of regulation, the author develops an argument which is informed by insights from economics, law, anthropology and philosophy. This text should be of interest not only to students and practitioners of comparative politics, but also to readers in related fields.
- ISBN10 0631174672
- ISBN13 9780631174677
- Publish Date 19 August 1993
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 9 June 2000
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher John Wiley and Sons Ltd
- Imprint Blackwell Publishers
- Format Paperback
- Pages 274
- Language English