The Limits of Government Regulation

The Limits of Government Regulation is a collection of essays from a symposium conducted at the University of Vermont dealing with the subject of government intervention to business activities. This collection examines the effects of excessive governmental regulation on business and economic activities. The writers are of one belief that a laissez-faire approach is not the optimal solution; rather government policies that are shaped and implemented do not consider existing market forces. Instead of formulating policies that should be harmonious and congruent to these market forces, government regulations drastically alter or repeal them. One paper analyzes the damage done by an English activist government to a society, as well as Prime Minister Thatcher's chances of introducing effective reforms. The book also presents a study by six regulatory bodies on 48 firms. This study evaluates the additional costs spent by business arising from compliance with regulations issued by the six agencies. Other papers propose that regulatory reforms are possible through industrial revitalization and national planning. This book can be appreciated by economists, ministers of economic planning and development, heads of business organization, as well as general readers interested in government regulatory procedures.

Contenu

List of Contributors
Foreword
Preface
Chapter 1 An Overview of the Problem of Government Regulation
Part I Freedom, Justice, and Public Policy
Chapter 2 Government Regulation and a Free Society
Chapter 3 A New Threat to Freedom: The Challenge of the 1980s
Chapter 4 Poverty, the Distribution of Income, and Social Policy: Some Thoughts
Part II The Unforeseen Consequences of Regulation
Chapter 5 Is Mrs. Thatcher Curing the British Disease?
Chapter 6 An Overview of Government Regulation
Chapter 7 Cost of Government Regulation Study
Part III The Problem of Reform
Chapter 8 The Distressing Relationship between Government and Business
Chapter 9 The Problem of Balancing the Costs and Benefits of Regulation: Two Views
Chapter 10 Reindustrialization: A Cure Worse Than the Disease?