SPECIAL TOPICS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & ORGANIZATION REGULATION: POLITICS, INSTITUTIONS, AND GOVERNANCE

This seminar will provide a broad investigation of contemporary strategies of regulation. The course will begin with a discussion of traditional forms of “command and control” regulation, investigating classical topics like standard-setting, inspection, and enforcement.  We will then move on to various alternatives to “command and control” regulation, such as responsive regulation, regulatory negotiation, and management-based regulation.  We will also consider debates about the efficacy of self-regulation and meta-regulation. The course will then examine recent developments in “non-state” regulation, including private standards and certification.  The efficacy of private regulation to regulate public goods like fisheries, forest resources, and food safety will be examined.  The course will conclude with a review of recent discussions about the development and diffusion of the “regulatory state” and “regulatory capitalism” and consider how regulatory fields evolve over time.   In general, the course will focus on how the interaction of politics, institutions, and governance shape the effectiveness and legitimacy of regulation.  It will draw on examples from financial, health, safety, criminal, and environmental regulation.