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A regulatory agency (also regulatory authority or regulator) is a government agency responsible for administrative law—that is, regulation or rulemaking. Regulatory agencies deal with areas of human activity by codifying and enforcing rules and regulations and imposing supervision or oversight for the benefit of the public at large.
Regulatory agencies are usually a part of the executive arm of the government or has statutory authority to perform its functions. Regulatory authorities are commonly set up to enforce standards and safety, to oversee use of public goods and regulate commercial activities. Examples of regulatory agencies are the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the United States, Ofcom in the United Kingdom, and the TRAI in India.
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Role in public affairs
The regulatory process has three basic elements:
- Ensure that the exercise of regulatory power is rule-based.
- Regulated agencies have an effective means to defend themselves against unauthorized or arbitrary requirements or liabilities
- The wider interest group have a means to have their views considered and addressed in administrative decisions
Functioning
To ensure that it does fulfill its role, a regulatory agency uses mechanisms such as the following
- transparency of information and decision-making
- procedures of consultation and participation
- requirement that administrators give reasons explaining their actions
- requirement that administrators follow principles that promote non-arbitrary and responsive decisions
- arrangements for review of administrative decisions by courts or other bodies
Criticism
Regulatory Agencies are sometimes accused of hindering competitive forces and/or hindering freedom of speech.
Areas
- Advertising regulation
- Bank regulation
- Consumer protection
- Cyber-security regulation
- Financial regulation
- Food safety and food security
- Noise regulation
- Nuclear safety
- Occupational safety and health
- Public health
- Regulation and monitoring of pollution
- Regulation of acupuncture
- Regulation of nanotechnology
- Regulation of sport
- Regulation of therapeutic goods
- Regulation through litigation
- Telecommunication
- Vehicle regulation
- Regulation of ship pollution in the United States
- Regulation and prevalence of homeopathy
- Regulation of science
- Wage regulation
See also
- International regulation
- European Community regulation
- Law enforcement agency
- Public administration
- Regulation school
- Regulatory compliance
- Regulatory economics
- Code of Federal Regulations
- Deregulation
References
Global Administrative Law A Talk by Richard Stewart at University of Rome, La Sapienza. June 13, 2005
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 10 October 2008, at 04:18.
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