The regulatory state

Eva Heims

Chapter 43 in Elgar Encyclopedia of Business and Government, 2026, pp 250-254 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The regulatory state is most strongly associated with the proliferation of independent expert agencies which were created to regulate markets and services previously provided by state-run institutions. However, this image of the regulatory state only makes sense if one takes the post-war era as a starting point for analysis. This entry argues the case for a more dynamic view that is not bound to a particular point in time or space. We suggest that regulatory statehood is a matter of degree and should be assessed against the extent to which a state systematically exerts power over business activity through regulation. A more flexible view allows us to consider what role regulatory statehood played in the development of states and how regulatory states vary across the world. It also allows us to assess the increasing levels of politicisation of the institutions of the contemporary regulatory state.

Keywords: Independent agencies; Regulators; Regulatory capacity; Regulatory capability; Regulatory statehood; Politicisation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035307777
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