Distributional Issues in Regulatory Policy Implementation — the Case of Air Quality Control Policies (1986)

Abstract

The clear and widely accepted distinction between regulatory, distributive and redistributive policies with regard to programme structures, policy instruments and administrative arrangements, originally suggested by (1972) might be the main theoretical reason for the fact that the distribution issue has only exceptionally3 been analysed explicitly in regulatory policy formation and implementation processes. Without directly raising his issue, a considerable volume of environmental policy research illuminates the existence of selective interest consideration in regulatory programme formation patterns4. The very existence or absence of public regulation in comparable problem areas can reflect the exercise of selective attention in issue generation processes, resulting in an unequal distribution of public regulation resources amongst competing social groups. Further-more it is well known that once established, regulatory policies may discriminate against certain enterprises or affected individuals. This again reflects implicit distributional decisions.