Regulatory Capture

“An agency created to oversee an industry may begin to see the world through that industry.”

01 / PLAINLY

What it means, plainly

Regulatory capture describes processes through which regulation comes to serve regulated interests disproportionately.

02 / CONTEXT

A little more

Regulatory capture describes processes through which regulation disproportionately serves regulated interests. Unequal access, information dependence, revolving doors, and political pressure are proposed mechanisms.

03 / WHY IT MATTERS

Why it matters

It focuses attention on unequal access, information, and career paths without reducing the whole problem to individual corruption.

04 / EXAMPLE

A familiar example

An industry joins daily technical consultations while dispersed users lack the time and organization to respond.

05 / LIMIT

What it does not mean

It proves neither that every regulator is corrupt nor that any business-friendly policy is captured.

06 / NOTICE

Notice it in your day

For a familiar regulatory consultation, note who supplies information, who can attend repeatedly, and which counterweight represents dispersed users.

FINAL NOTE

The idea worth keeping

Track who supplies information, access, and career paths, and which counterweights represent the public.

QUESTIONS / 02

Questions people still have

Which mechanisms may contribute to regulatory capture?

Proposed mechanisms include unequal access, information dependence, revolving doors, and political pressure.

Does a business-friendly policy prove capture?

No. A process and disproportionate service to regulated interests must be shown, not only an outcome.