Controlling the Regulators

An authoritative study of attempts to deregulate and roll back the state in Britain from 1979-1997. Compliance cost assessment was the new tool used by the UK government to evaluate the likely impact of legislative proposals on business. The authors analyze the system and, using case studies, evaluate its performance as a technique of economic appraisal and as a way of controlling civil servants. Comparisons are made with the European Fiche d'impact and the American regulatory impact analysis. Given the considerable importance of CCA, and the dearth of literature on it, the book makes a significant contribution to the understanding of public policy-making. Front Matter....Pages i-xiii The Deregulation Initiative and Compliance Cost Assessment....Pages 1-13 Theoretical Justifications for Compliance Cost Assessment....Pages 14-32 Compliance Cost Assessment in Action....Pages 33-54 Assessing Regulatory Compliance Costs in the EC....Pages 55-70 The Directive on the Landfill of Waste: Two Forms of Appraisal....Pages 71-86 Reviewing Environmental Protection Legislation....Pages 87-103 (De)Regulating for Employee Consultation Rights....Pages 104-118 Enforcing Intellectual Property Rights: The Relevance of Compliance Cost Assessment....Pages 119-130 Valuing the Froth on a Pint of Beer....Pages 131-144 Cost-benefit Analysis: An Alternative Approach....Pages 145-162 Regulatory Impact Analysis in the US....Pages 163-179 Conclusions....Pages 180-197 Back Matter....Pages 198-216 A study of attempts to deregulate and roll back the state in Britain from 1979-1997. Compliance cost assessment was the tool used by the UK government to evaluate the likely impact of legislative proposals on business. This book analyzes the system and evaluates its performance.