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REGULATION | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

REGULATION | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

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Meaning of regulation in English

regulationnoun [ C or U ] uk

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/ˌreɡ.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/ us

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/ˌreɡ.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/

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B2 an official rule or the act of controlling something: safety/health/traffic/fire/security regulations The correct procedure is laid down in the rules and regulations. government regulation of inflation

More examplesFewer examplesThe Social Democrats are still wedded to the concepts of high taxation and regulation.New safety regulations have been brought in.I have acted strictly in accordance with the regulations at all times.The correct procedure is laid down in the rules and regulations.Safety regulations are being ignored by company managers in the drive to increase profits.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Rules & laws

administrative

admiralty

anti-bribery

anti-regulatory

anti-sodomy

binding

blue law

invocation

juridical

juridically

juristic

land tenure

legislation

provision

Rafferty's rules

the law is an ass idiom

the rule of law

uncalled

uncanonical

unenforceable

See more results »

regulationadjective uk

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/ˌreɡ.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/ us

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/ˌreɡ.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/

according to the rules or the usual way of doing things: businessmen in their regulation pinstripe suits It's regulation to wear suits at the office. a regulation football pitch

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Habitual and customary

accustomed

all in a day's work idiom

as a (general) rule idiom

as a matter of course idiom

as per usual/normal idiom

inveterate

inveterately

knee-jerk

mainstreaming

make it a rule idiom

mechanical

nine

ordinarily

per

prevail

pro forma

rule

surprise

surprise, surprise idiom

territory

See more results »

(Definition of regulation from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

regulation | American Dictionary

regulationnoun [ C/U ] us

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/ˌreɡ·jəˈleɪ·ʃən/

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[ U ]

  biology the chemical and nerve processes that allow people to adjust to changes in themselves and their environment so that they can continue to live

the rules or systems that are used by a person or organization to control an activity or process, or the action of controlling the activity or process: [ C ] federal safety regulations [ U ] She favors government regulation of health-care systems.

(Definition of regulation from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

regulation | Business English

regulationnoun uk

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/ˌreɡjəˈleɪʃən/ us

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[ C ]

  LAW, GOVERNMENT an official rule or law: They are introducing new policies and regulations for e-commerce. environmental/safety/ import regulations There are far too many rules and regulations.

[ U ]

  LAW, GOVERNMENT the activity of checking that a business is following official rules or laws: This affects the operation and regulation of the accounting profession. They are looking at the replacement of government regulation by self-regulation and market mechanisms.

Compare

building regulations

regulationadjective [ before noun ]

  WORKPLACE uk

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/ˌreɡjəˈleɪʃən/ us

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used to describe official clothes or equipment used by people in a particular type of work: All flight attendants are required to wear regulation uniform. Security staff are issued with regulation kit.

(Definition of regulation from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of regulation

regulation

Of course, many of the objectives could have also been accomplished by regulations.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

All of these countries reported having government regulations to protect patient-level data.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

There are also special regulations for clinical trials.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

After all, these regulations were promulgated quite late.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

They depict housing processes in relatively unfettered markets with comparatively few government regulations and direct intervention.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

By comparison, the earlier building orders, regulations and codes did not go beyond some basic controls and general precautions against the danger of fire.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Up until the twentieth century, regulations regarding marital fitness tended to follow the common-law rules on the capacity of parties to contract.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The government, however, has a strong steering role with complex regulations affecting virtually every aspect of the health system.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Of interest, national regulations were required already at that time to reduce the large variability among hospitals in the exact method of cost price calculation.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The degree is delivered by the institution in which the student is registered, following its own regulations.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The enforcement of such regulations may be difficult where monitoring is poor or testing is accessed from foreign jurisdictions.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The regulations for coverage of nonexcluded medical aids are complex and therefore are only briefly described.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In particular, implementation of regulations in the private sector should be taken as a policy opportunity to improve the delivery of health care.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

An act from 1475 also extended the regulations of 1422 to the entire kingdom.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Under colonial rule the administration of the whole territory was formalised since the governors put an end to all personalised positions and regulations.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

See all examples of regulation

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with regulation

regulation

These are words often used in combination with regulation.Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

administrative regulationI think it was the result of an administrative regulation.

From the Hansard archive

Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0

banking regulationThat is, the objects of international banking regulation (the banks) exhibit great harmonization across countries.

From the Cambridge English Corpus  

benefit regulationBecause people receive money in lieu of concessionary coal, they are further ensnared by the housing benefit regulation changes.

From the Hansard archive

Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

See all collocations with regulation

What is the pronunciation of regulation?

B2

Translations of regulation

in Chinese (Traditional)

規則，條例，法規, 控制，管理, 一般的，普通的…

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in Chinese (Simplified)

规则，条例，法规, 控制，管理, 一般的，普通的…

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in Spanish

reglamento, medida, regulación [feminine…

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in Portuguese

regulamento, regulamentação [feminine], regulamento [masculine]…

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in more languages

in Marathi

in Japanese

in Turkish

in French

in Catalan

in Dutch

in Tamil

in Hindi

in Gujarati

in Danish

in Swedish

in Malay

in German

in Norwegian

in Urdu

in Ukrainian

in Russian

in Telugu

in Arabic

in Bengali

in Czech

in Indonesian

in Thai

in Vietnamese

in Polish

in Korean

in Italian

नियम…

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規則, 規定, 条例…

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tüzük, yönetmelik, kural…

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régulation [feminine], réglementation [feminine], règlement…

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reglament, norma…

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voorschrift, regulering…

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ஒரு உத்தியோகபூர்வ விதி அல்லது எதையாவது கட்டுப்படுத்தும் செயல்…

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(कुछ नियंत्रित करने हेतु) अधिनियम, कायदा…

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અધિનિયમ, કાયદો (કોઈ વસ્તુને નિયંત્રિત કરવા માટે)…

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regel, foreskrevet, justering…

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regel, föreskrift, reglemente…

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peraturan, akta…

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die Regelung, vorschriftsmäßig, die Einstellung…

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regulering [masculine], styring [masculine], reglement [neuter]…

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قانون, ضابطہ, قاعدہ…

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регулювання, правило, інструкція…

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правило, норма, регулирование…

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నియంత్రణ…

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قاعِدة…

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নিয়ম…

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předpis, předepsaný, seřízení…

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peraturan, pengaturan…

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กฎข้อบังคับ, การวางข้อกำหนด…

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qui định, sự điều chỉnh…

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przepis, regulacja, kontrola…

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규제…

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regolamento, norma, regola…

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regulate

regulated

regulated industry

regulating

regulation

regulation game

regulation time

regulator

regulatory

More meanings of regulation

All

regulation adjective, at regulate

non-regulation

re-regulation

regulation game

regulation time

self-regulation

self regulation

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Regulation Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

Regulation Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

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Est. 1828

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regulation

1 of 2

noun

reg·​u·​la·​tion

ˌre-gyə-ˈlā-shən 

ˌre-gə-,

 also  ˌrā-

Synonyms of regulation

1

: the act of regulating : the state of being regulated

2

a

: an authoritative rule dealing with details or procedure

safety regulations

b

: a rule or order issued by an executive authority or regulatory agency of a government and having the force of law

3

a

: the process of redistributing material (as in an embryo) to restore a damaged or lost part independent of new tissue growth

b

: the mechanism by which an early embryo maintains normal development

4

a

or regulation time

: the standard period of time established by the rules of a game or contest excluding overtime

Trailing by five with less than a minute to go in regulation, Boston forced the game into overtime …—Bob Ryan Dallas downed the ball at the 20 with 1:47 left in regulation.—Ralph N. Paulk … there will be a change in France for the 1988 World Cup: a sudden-death … period after regulation time.—George Vecsey

b

golf

: the standard number of strokes allowed by par for reaching the green on a given hole (that is, one stroke on a par 3, two strokes on a par 4, and three strokes on a par 5)

Using his conservative left-to-right fade, he hit all but three greens in regulation.—Jaime Diaz

regulation

2 of 2

adjective

: conforming to regulations : official

Synonyms

Noun

bylaw

ground rule

reg

rule

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Choose the Right Synonym for regulation

law, rule, regulation, precept, statute, ordinance, canon mean a principle governing action or procedure. law implies imposition by a sovereign authority and the obligation of obedience on the part of all subject to that authority.

obey the law

rule applies to more restricted or specific situations.

the rules of the game

regulation implies prescription by authority in order to control an organization or system.

regulations affecting nuclear power plants

precept commonly suggests something advisory and not obligatory communicated typically through teaching.

the precepts of effective writing

statute implies a law enacted by a legislative body.

a statute requiring the use of seat belts

ordinance applies to an order governing some detail of procedure or conduct enforced by a limited authority such as a municipality.

a city ordinance

canon suggests in nonreligious use a principle or rule of behavior or procedure commonly accepted as a valid guide.

the canons of good taste

Examples of regulation in a Sentence

Noun

Builders must comply with the regulations.

regulations on the disposal of waste

Each agency has its own set of rules and regulations.

Adjective

Students must wear regulation uniforms.

Recent Examples on the WebNoun

Since September 2020, The Star has investigated several schools, and the lack of regulations for them in the state, and has spoken to more than 80 students who attended facilities in southwest Missouri.

—Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2024

The more consistent Republicans understand the full implications of the Court’s ruling and are explicit about their desire to eliminate IVF treatments, either through an outright ban or the most intrusive of regulations.

—Darryl Wright, Orange County Register, 2 Mar. 2024

Kayla Padilla hit a tying three-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation, made another key three in the second overtime and No. 7 USC rallied after freshman JuJu Watkins fouled out to beat Arizona 95-93 on Thursday night.

—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024

However, this can be challenging due to variations in local regulations, cultural differences and ensuring franchisee compliance.

—Gigi Schweikert, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024

In November, an independent panel stripped Everton of 10 points for failing to comply with the Premier League’s financial regulations, suddenly exposing the club to the very real threat of relegation.

—Rory Smith, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024

Federal regulations require periodic drug testing for commercial driver's license holders.

—Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 29 Feb. 2024

The law clarifies a host of alcohol regulations in the state, touching everything from who can invest in new alcohol businesses, to winery operations, to when bars close during the Republican National Convention next summer.

—Jessie Opoien, Journal Sentinel, 29 Feb. 2024

Alter said her organization is aware of the potential risks and is ready to have a nuanced conversation about potential regulation.

—Morgan Radford, NBC News, 29 Feb. 2024

Adjective

Democrat amendments squashed Democrats and pro-regulation groups argued the measure lacks any awareness of the common good, and prioritizes political ambitions and corporate profits over people’s lives.

—James Call, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2023

The swearing in of Commissioner Mary T. Boyle in June brought the commission up to full strength, with a 3-2 split in favor of Democratic appointees who are expected to take an aggressive enforcement stance in line with the Biden administration’s pro-regulation agenda.

—Dean Seal, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2022

Brett Maher went 6-for-9 on field goals while kicking into a non-regulation, skinny post, his longest from 50 yards.

—Dallas News, 18 Aug. 2022

Still, presuming that the anti-regulation guests also made misleading scientific statements (no big assumption, given the way this debate tends to go), the result is closely related.

—Chris Mooney, Discover Magazine, 7 June 2011

Bankman-Fried, after all, was supposed to be crypto’s good-guy wunderkind, the pro-regulation prophet who would finally lead crypto into the mainstream.

—Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 11 Nov. 2022

Florida's housing woes have been festering for years, with the state enjoying robust population growth while also courting new residents and businesses attracted by the low taxes and an anti-regulation agenda.

—Irina Ivanova, CBS News, 2 May 2022

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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'regulation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Adjective

1803, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of regulation was

in 1611

See more words from the same year

Phrases Containing regulation

self-regulation

re-regulation

regulation time

Dictionary Entries Near regulation

regulating station

regulation

regulatively

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“Regulation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regulation. Accessed 12 Mar. 2024.

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Kids Definition

regulation

1 of 2

noun

reg·​u·​la·​tion

ˌreg-yə-ˈlā-shən 

1

: the act of regulating : the state of being regulated

2

a

: a rule or order telling how something is to be done

safety regulations in a factory

b

: a rule or order having the force of law

regulation

2 of 2

adjective

: being in agreement with regulations

a regulation baseball

Medical Definition

regulation

noun

reg·​u·​la·​tion

ˌreg-yə-ˈlā-shən, ˌreg-ə-ˈlā- 

1

: the act of regulating

also

: the resulting state or condition

2

a

: the process of redistributing material (as in an embryo) to restore a damaged or lost part independent of new tissue growth compare regeneration sense 2

b

: the mechanism by which an early embryo maintains normal development

3

: the control of the kind and rate of cellular processes by controlling the activity of individual genes

Legal Definition

regulation

noun

reg·​u·​la·​tion

1

: the act of regulating or state of being regulated

2

: an authoritative rule

specifically

: a rule or order issued by a government agency and often having the force of law see also Administrative Procedure Act

Note:

An agency is often delegated the power to issue regulations by the legislation that created it. Regulations must be made in accordance with prescribed procedures, such as those set out in the federal or a state Administrative Procedure Act. Federal regulations are first published in the Federal Register and later codified in the Code of Federal Regulations.

More from Merriam-Webster on regulation

Nglish: Translation of regulation for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of regulation for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about regulation

Last Updated:

6 Mar 2024

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Regulation | Definitions, Theoretical Approaches, & Facts | Britannica

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regulation

Table of Contents

regulation

Table of Contents

IntroductionDefining regulationRegulation and free-market interactionsRegulation as state activityPublic versus private interestsPragmatic-administrative analysesRegulation as governanceRegulation without the state

References & Edit History

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Written by

Cornelia Woll

Vice President for Studies and Academic Affairs, Sciences Po (Paris Institute of Political Studies), Paris, France. Her contributions to SAGE Publications'

Encyclopedia of Governance (2007) formed...

Cornelia Woll

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regulation, in government, a rule or mechanism that limits, steers, or otherwise controls social behaviour.

Defining regulation

Regulation has a variety of meanings that are not reducible to a single concept. In the field of public policy, regulation refers to the promulgation of targeted rules, typically accompanied by some authoritative mechanism for monitoring and enforcing compliance. Accordingly, for a long time in the United States, for example, the study of regulation has been synonymous with the study of the independent agencies enforcing it. In political economy, it refers to the attempt of the state to steer the economy, either narrowly defined as the imposition of economic controls on the behaviour of private business or, more broadly, to include other governmental instruments, such as taxation or disclosure requirements. The two meanings share a focus on the state’s attempt to intervene in private activities.

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property law: Regulatory

A third definition of regulation moves beyond an interest in the state and focuses on all means of social control, either intentional or unintentional. This understanding is commonly applied in anthropology, sociolegal studies, and international relations because it includes mechanisms such as voluntary agreements or norms that exercise social control outside the reach of a sovereign state and not necessarily as an intentional act of steering.

Thus, different strands of regulation studies share an agreement on the subject of regulation (the state), the object (the behaviour of nongovernmental actors), the instruments (an authoritative set of rules), or the domain of application (e.g., the economy). However, they do not necessarily agree on all those elements. The concept of regulation points to the rules that structure the behaviour of individuals within a given context without postulating where the rules come from and how they are imposed.

Regulation and free-market interactions

The diversity of meanings of regulation has led to controversy and misunderstandings between scholars, most notably on the topic of deregulation. In the economic tradition, deregulation refers to the elimination of specific controls imposed by the government on market interactions, in particular the attempt to control market access, prices, output, or product quality. However, if regulation is conceived of more broadly as a form of economic governance, it is difficult to imagine the total elimination of state intervention. Moreover, the relationship between regulation and competition has been transformed. Regulation used to be depicted as the enemy of free-market interactions. However, many scholars came to believe that some regulations facilitate competition whereas other regulations impede competition. Thus, regulation is not necessarily the antonym of free markets or liberalization (relaxation of government controls). In this perspective, many scholars preferred using the terms reregulation or regulatory reform instead of the term deregulation. (See also competition policy.)

Regulation as state activity

The theoretical debates around the concept of regulation reflect different disciplines and research agendas and can be broadly divided into approaches to regulation as an act of government and perspectives on regulation as governance. Regulation as a governmental activity has been studied extensively, including the reasons for regulation and the process by which it is effected.

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Public versus private interests

The original justification of government intervention in economic interactions was public interest. This perspective considers the market as an efficient allocation mechanism of social and economic welfare while also cautioning against market failures. Market failures commonly include natural monopolies, externalities, public goods, asymmetric information, moral hazard, or transaction costs. Regulation was considered necessary to overcome those difficulties.

Conceiving regulation as a tool for overcoming market imperfections, however, has been criticized on a number of points. First, with the evolution of economic theory, several scholars have questioned the understanding of market failure underlying the explanation of government regulation. Second, economists have pointed out the often considerable transaction costs of imposing regulation, which might make it an ineffective policy tool and harmful to social or economic welfare. Finally, the market failure approach argues that regulation is put into place with the goal of achieving economic efficiency. However, this makes it hard to account for other objectives, such as procedural fairness or redistribution at the expense of efficiency.

The Chicago school of economics, known for its advocacy of laissez-faire economics, focused instead on private interests as the source of regulation. The principal aim of this perspective is to understand how private interests and public officials interact. A central claim made by theorists following this approach was that policy outcomes are most often contrary to societal or public interest because industry representatives lobby the government for benefits they might gain through protectionism or other forms of economic controls. Politicians are susceptible to these demands because they are interested in financial contributions that business actors can offer. Thus, interest groups compete for specific policies in a political market for governmental regulation. As long as interest groups exist, regulation can be expected, which impedes the achievement of maximal social and economic welfare.

The theory of economic regulation has been criticized for its risk of tautology. Regulation is in place because private interests lobbied for it effectively, and, as a consequence, one can only know who asked for it by determining who benefits from it. Therefore, a particular industry advantage is the cause and effect of regulation. Furthermore, if regulation is defined in a narrow sense as specific economic policies aimed at the control of prices or market entry and access, the decrease in regulation of several industries in the United States during the 1970s and ’80s seemingly refutes the theory. Nonetheless, as a model of business-government interactions, the theory of economic regulation directly or indirectly informs a large number of studies in the field of political economy.

Pragmatic-administrative analyses

A large number of studies have also grappled with the empirical fact of regulation. Such pragmatic-administrative perspectives shed light on regulation as an act of policy making. The study of the politics of regulations is informed by the tools of public policy analysis, organizational sociology, and political science. In the 1950s American economist Marver H. Bernstein described the rhythm of regulation as a life cycle of regulatory commissions, with phases of gestation, youth, maturity, and old age. This view facilitated the analysis of the initial activism in the formulation of a regulatory policy approach and the specific management problems that occur in the course of its lifetime. Regulation had been classified as a specific type of public policy, indicating that policies should be categorized according to the degree and application of governmental coercion and that regulatory policy should be separated from distributive and redistributive policy making.

Other studies of regulation have aimed at characterizing different policy regimes or, more ambitiously, state capacity. The predominantly European literature on the regulatory state sought to show that governmental action was increasingly based on the use of authority, rules, and standard setting, rather than distributional or redistributional tasks, such as public service provision. In an extension of this debate to the European level, it was argued that the governmental capacity of the European Union (EU) was strongly biased toward regulation. As a political system, the EU could therefore develop into a regulatory state but not into an interventionist welfare state.

Regulation as governance

In the context of economic globalization, regulatory studies moved away from focusing on independent agencies and governmental control of the economy only. Scholars recognized that some interactions of market participants, product standards, or processes were no longer regulated through state intervention. Rather, they were regulated through international agreements or even self-regulation arrangements between private actors. Because it seemed pertinent to address these new modes of economic governance, it became common to address regulation in the absence of direct governmental authority. Other studies pointed at patterns that govern the behaviour of certain actors without reference to a unitary subject of regulation.

Regulation without the state

As in the context of the EU, scholars of regulatory reform also became interested in regulation at the international level. In certain sectors, such as e-commerce or telecommunications, international agreements had become decisive for controlling the market behaviour of individuals. Moreover, many studies pointed out the effect of self-regulation of firms or various sets of public-private partnerships for the elaboration, monitoring, or implementation of targeted rules. They showed how different forms of private authority structure the economic behaviour of firms in sectors as diverse as maritime transport, mineral markets, or financial services.

It is often difficult to identify exactly who or what leads to the rise or fall of regulatory reforms. While regulation and deregulation in the United States can be identified closely with specific political leaders and parties, a growing literature investigates what mechanisms lead to the diffusion of regulatory reforms across countries or policy contexts. Animated by the desire to understand regulatory emulation, this research agenda connects the study of regulation with the ongoing debate about the roots and consequences of liberalization and globalization.Cornelia Woll

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Regulation

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

General term for rules, including delegated legislation and self-regulation

For other uses, see Regulation (disambiguation).Not to be confused with Relegation.

Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context. For example:

in biology, gene regulation and metabolic regulation allow living organisms to adapt to their environment and maintain homeostasis;

in government, typically regulation means stipulations of the delegated legislation which is drafted by subject-matter experts[citation needed] to enforce primary legislation;

in business, industry self-regulation occurs through self-regulatory organizations and trade associations which allow industries to set and enforce rules with less government involvement; and,

in psychology, self-regulation theory is the study of how individuals regulate their thoughts and behaviors to reach goals.

Social[edit]

Regulation in the social, political, psychological, and economic domains can take many forms: legal restrictions promulgated by a government authority, contractual obligations (for example, contracts between insurers and their insureds[1]), self-regulation in psychology, social regulation (e.g. norms), co-regulation, third-party regulation, certification, accreditation or market regulation.[2]

State-mandated regulation is government intervention in the private market in an attempt to implement policy and produce outcomes which might not otherwise occur,[3] ranging from consumer protection to faster growth or technological advancement.

The regulations may prescribe or proscribe conduct ("command-and-control" regulation), calibrate incentives ("incentive" regulation), or change preferences ("preferences shaping" regulation). Common examples of regulation include limits on environmental pollution , laws against child labor or other employment regulations, minimum wages laws, regulations requiring truthful labelling of the ingredients in food and drugs, and food and drug safety regulations establishing minimum standards of testing and quality for what can be sold, and zoning and development approvals regulation. Much less common are controls on market entry, or price regulation.

One critical question in regulation is whether the regulator or government has sufficient information to make ex-ante regulation more efficient than ex-post liability for harm and whether industry self-regulation might be preferable.[4][5][6][7] The economics of imposing or removing regulations relating to markets is analysed in empirical legal studies, law and economics, political science, environmental science, health economics, and regulatory economics.

Power to regulate should include the power to enforce regulatory decisions. Monitoring is an important tool used by national regulatory authorities in carrying out the regulated activities.[8]

In some countries (in particular the Scandinavian countries) industrial relations are to a very high degree regulated by the labour market parties themselves (self-regulation) in contrast to state regulation of minimum wages etc.[9]

History[edit]

Regulation of businesses existed in the ancient early Egyptian, Indian, Greek, and Roman civilizations. Standardized weights and measures existed to an extent in the ancient world, and gold may have operated to some degree as an international currency. In China, a national currency system existed and paper currency was invented. Sophisticated law existed in Ancient Rome. In the European Early Middle Ages, law and standardization declined with the Roman Empire, but regulation existed in the form of norms, customs, and privileges; this regulation was aided by the unified Christian identity and a sense of honor regarding contracts.[10]: 5 

Modern industrial regulation can be traced to the Railway Regulation Act 1844 in the United Kingdom, and succeeding Acts. Beginning in the late 19th and 20th centuries, much of regulation in the United States was administered and enforced by regulatory agencies which produced their own administrative law and procedures under the authority of statutes. Legislators created these agencies to require experts in the industry to focus their attention on the issue. At the federal level, one of the earliest institutions was the Interstate Commerce Commission which had its roots in earlier state-based regulatory commissions and agencies. Later agencies include the Federal Trade Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, Civil Aeronautics Board, and various other institutions. These institutions vary from industry to industry and at the federal and state level. Individual agencies do not necessarily have clear life-cycles or patterns of behavior, and they are influenced heavily by their leadership and staff as well as the organic law creating the agency. In the 1930s, lawmakers believed that unregulated business often led to injustice and inefficiency; in the 1960s and 1970s, concern shifted to regulatory capture, which led to extremely detailed laws creating the United States Environmental Protection Agency and Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Measurement[edit]

Regulation can be assessed for different countries through various quantitative measures. The Global Indicators of Regulatory Governance[11] by World Bank's Global Indicators Group scores 186 countries on transparency around proposed regulations, consultation on their content, the use of regulatory impact assessments[12] and the access to enacted laws on a scale from 0 to 5. The V-Dem Democracy indices include the regulatory quality indicator.[13] The QuantGov project[14] at the Mercatus Center tracks the count of regulations by topic for United States, Canada, and Australia.

See also[edit]

Consumer protection – Protect consumers against unfair practices

Rulemaking – Process by which executive branch agencies create regulations

Regulatory state – term referred to the expansion in the use of rulemaking, monitoring and enforcement techniques and institutions by the state and to a parallel change in the way its positive or negative functions in society are being carried outPages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback

Deregulation – Remove or reduce state regulations

Environmental law – Branch of law concerning the natural environment

Occupational safety and health – Field concerned with the safety, health and welfare of people at work

Public administration – Academic discipline; implementation or management of policy

Regulation of science

Regulatory capture – Form of political corruption

Regulatory economics – Economics of regulation

Tragedy of the commons – Self-interests causing depletion of a shared resource

Public choice – Economic theory applied to political science

Precautionary principle – Risk management strategy

References[edit]

^ Marcos Antonio Mendoza, "Reinsurance as Governance: Governmental Risk Management Pools as a Case Study in the Governance Role Played by Reinsurance Institutions", 21 Conn. Ins. L.J. 53, (2014) https://ssrn.com/abstract=2573253

^ Levi-Faur, David, Regulation and Regulatory Governance, Jerusalem Papers in Regulation and Governance, No. 1, 2010

^ Orbach, Barak, What Is Regulation? 30 Yale Journal on Regulation Online 1 (2012)

^ Sim, Michael (2018). "Limited Liability and the Known Unknown". Duke Law Journal. 68: 275–332. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3121519. ISSN 1556-5068. S2CID 44186028 – via SSRN.

^ Schwarcz, Steven L. (2011). "Keynote & Chapman Dialogue Address: Ex Ante Versus Ex Post Approaches to Financial Regulation". SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1748007. ISSN 1556-5068. S2CID 154354509.

^ Hosoe, Moriki (2020), "Ex-ante Regulation, Ex-post Regulation, and Collusion", Applied Economic Analysis of Information and Risk, Singapore: Springer Singapore, pp. 49–66, doi:10.1007/978-981-15-3300-6_4, ISBN 978-981-15-3299-3, S2CID 216306756, retrieved 2020-11-03

^ Shavell, Steven (October 1983). "Liability for Harm Versus Regulation of Safety". Cambridge, MA. doi:10.3386/w1218.

^ Eraldo Banovac. Monitoringgrundlagen der kroatischen Regulierungsbehörde für Energie. EW − das Magazin für die Energie Wirtschaft, Vol. 103, No. 1–2, 2004, pp. 14–16.

^ Anders Kjellberg (2017) "Self-regulation versus State Regulation in Swedish Industrial Relations" In Mia Rönnmar and Jenny Julén Votinius (eds.) Festskrift till Ann Numhauser-Henning. Lund: Juristförlaget i Lund 2017, pp. 357-383

^ John Braithwaite, Péter Drahos. (2000). Global Business Regulation. Cambridge University Press.

^ Global Indicators of Regulatory Governance

^ Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2008), Introductory Handbook for Undertaking Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA), https://www.oecd.org/gov/regulatory-policy/44789472.pdf , retrieved 4/11/23.

^ Sigman, Rachel, and Staffan I. Lindberg. "Neopatrimonialism and democracy: An empirical investigation of Africa's political regimes." V-Dem Working Paper 56 (2017).

^ "QuantGov". quantgov.org. Retrieved June 4, 2023.

External links[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Regulation.

Look up regulation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Centre on Regulation in Europe (CERRE)

New Perspectives on Regulation (2009) and Government and Markets: Toward a New Theory of Regulation (2009)

US/Canadian Regulatory Cooperation: Archived 2011-04-30 at the Wayback Machine Schmitz on Lessons from the European Union, Canadian Privy Council Office Commissioned Study

A Comparative Bibliography: Regulatory Competition on Corporate Law

Wikibooks[edit]

Legal and Regulatory Issues in the Information Economy

Lawrence A. Cunningham, A Prescription to Retire the Rhetoric of 'Principles-Based Systems' in Corporate Law, Securities Regulation and Accounting (2007)

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regulation

2 ENTRIES FOUND:

regulation (noun)

regulation (adjective)

1

regulation

/ˌrɛgjəˈleɪʃən/

noun

plural

regulations

1

regulation

/ˌrɛgjəˈleɪʃən/

noun

plural

regulations

Britannica Dictionary definition of REGULATION

1 

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an official rule or law that says how something should be done

safety regulations [=codes]

Builders must comply with the regulations.

federal/state/government regulations

regulations on the disposal of waste

Each agency has its own set of rules and regulations.

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the act of regulating something

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the regulation of gun sales by the government

the body's regulation of blood pressure

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regulation

/ˌrɛgjəˈleɪʃən/

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regulation

/ˌrɛgjəˈleɪʃən/

adjective

Britannica Dictionary definition of REGULATION

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in agreement with the official rules

a regulation [=official] baseball

Students must wear regulation uniforms.

The length of the field is not regulation. = The field is not regulation size.

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Theories of regulation (Chapter 2) - An Introduction to Law and Regulation

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Home >Books >An Introduction to Law and Regulation >Theories of regulation An Introduction to Law and Regulation Text and Materials Buy print or eBook

[Opens in a new window] Book contents Frontmatter Contents Preface and Acknowledgements Figures1 Introduction2 Theories of regulation3 Regulatory instruments and techniques4 Regulatory enforcement and compliance5 Regulatory accountability and legitimacy6 Regulation above and beyond the state7 Conclusion Index References 2 - Theories of regulation

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 

05 June 2012

Bronwen Morgan  andKaren Yeung Show author details

Bronwen Morgan Affiliation: University of Bristol

Karen Yeung Affiliation: King's College London

Chapter

Book contents Frontmatter Contents Preface and Acknowledgements Figures1 Introduction2 Theories of regulation3 Regulatory instruments and techniques4 Regulatory enforcement and compliance5 Regulatory accountability and legitimacy6 Regulation above and beyond the state7 Conclusion Index References Get access Share Cite Summary IntroductionA theory of regulation is a set of propositions or hypotheses about why regulation emerges, which actors contribute to that emergence and typical patterns of interaction between regulatory actors. In answering the ‘why’ question, we range beyond law to other disciplines, and much of the material in this chapter draws upon the disciplines of politics, economics and sociology. In order to understand the academic literature on this topic, it is helpful to bear in mind two core ideas, which help to differentiate the focus of theories of regulation. Firstly, some theories assume a relatively clear dividing line between public and private actors and institutions while others view the line as blurred both in theory and practice. Secondly, some theories focus mainly on economically defined goals, factors and influences, while others supplement this focus with attention to more broadly defined political goals, factors and influences. Somewhat less attention has been paid to the kinds of values and concerns which lawyers tend to emphasise in exploring the patterned emergence of regulation. The aims of this chapter are therefore twofold. Firstly, to guide the reader through the different theories of regulation, drawing out the contrasts between the roles they give to public and private actors and institutions, and the degree to which they incorporate efficiency-enhancing, redistributive and other broader social objectives. Secondly, to consider the facilitative role of law in theories of regulation and to introduce (within that role) the image of law as umpire.

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An Introduction to Law and Regulation Text and Materials

, pp. 16 - 78 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511801112.003

[Opens in a new window] Publisher: Cambridge University Press Print publication year: 2007 Access options Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.) References

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Theories of regulation

Bronwen Morgan, University of Bristol,

Karen Yeung, King's College London

Book: An Introduction to Law and Regulation

Online publication: 05 June 2012

Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511801112.003

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Theories of regulation

Bronwen Morgan, University of Bristol,

Karen Yeung, King's College London

Book: An Introduction to Law and Regulation

Online publication: 05 June 2012

Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511801112.003

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Theories of regulation

Bronwen Morgan, University of Bristol,

Karen Yeung, King's College London

Book: An Introduction to Law and Regulation

Online publication: 05 June 2012

Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511801112.003

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regulation noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

regulation noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

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Definition of regulation noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

regulation noun OPAL W  /ˌreɡjuˈleɪʃn/  /ˌreɡjuˈleɪʃn/

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  [countable, usually plural] an official rule made by a government or some other authoritytoo many rules and regulationsfire/building regulationsthe strict regulations governing the sale of weaponsTo comply with government hygiene regulations, there must be a separate sink for hand washing. against regulations It's against safety regulations to fix these doors open. under the regulations Under the new regulations spending on office equipment will be strictly controlled.Extra ExamplesIn practice, the regulations are rarely enforced.Regulations require water authorities to test seawater for bacteria.States are enacting new laws and regulations.The Act imposes more stringent regulations on atmospheric pollution.The company took advantage of the country's lax environmental regulations.The government is under pressure to relax censorship regulations.The notice is in accordance with Regulation 7.The regulations are designed to encourage lower consumption of water.The regulations ban the use of genetically modified organisms.The restaurant owner admitted 13 breaches of food hygiene regulations.There are strict regulations concerning the adoption of children.There will be stricter regulations dictating which foods are allowed in schools.These regulations apply to all cows sold after June 1998.These restrictions are set out in regulations made by the minister.Tighter regulations come into force next year.Under the new regulations, each worker must have a rest every two hours.regulations governing trade and industryregulations on hygieneIt's against safety regulations to eat or drink in the laboratory.There are too many rules and regulations.Her job is to ensure that the company complies with laws and regulations.State and federal regulations are being introduced nationwide to restrict unhealthy food in school.Toxic waste must be handled according to the regulations.There are heavy fines for those who violate the regulations.Topics Permission and obligationb2, Law and justiceb2Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjectivestrictstringenttight…verb + regulationcomply withconform tomeet…regulation + verbbe designed tocontrol somethinggovern something…regulation + noununiformprepositionagainst (the) regulationsin (the) regulationunder (the) regulation…phrasesa breach of the regulationscompliance with a regulationin accordance with (the) regulations…See full entry

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Find the answers with Practical English Usage online, your indispensable guide to problems in English.

[uncountable] controlling something by means of rulesthe voluntary regulation of the press see also self-regulationExtra ExamplesBusinesses should be free from excessive government regulation.Food additives are subject to government regulation.Theatre, cinema and broadcasting are all subject to regulation by local authorities.They are calling for tighter regulation of the industry.the regulation of the medical professionthose opposed to tighter regulation of banksThe enquiry into press self-regulation is expected to report next month.The government has to set up an effective system of regulation.There is a need to bring our financial regulation into line with EU standards.What is the effect of such legal regulation on small businesses?Topics Permission and obligationc1, Moneyc1, Law and justicec1Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjectivestricttighttough…verb + regulationcall fordemandintroduce…prepositionregulation byregulation ofSee full entry See regulation in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee regulation in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic EnglishCheck pronunciation:

regulation

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regularly adverb

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REGULATION Definition & Usage Examples | Dictionary.com

REGULATION Definition & Usage Examples | Dictionary.com

GamesDaily CrosswordWord PuzzleWord FinderAll gamesFeaturedWord of the DaySynonym of the DayWord of the YearNew wordsLanguage storiesAll featuredPop cultureSlangEmojiMemesAcronymsGender and sexualityAll pop cultureWriting tipsGrammar Coach™Writing hubGrammar essentialsCommonly confusedAll writing tipsGamesFeaturedPop cultureWriting tipsregulation[ reg-yuh-ley-shuhn ]show ipaSee synonyms for: regulationregulations on Thesaurus.comnouna law, rule, or other order prescribed by authority, especially to regulate conduct: Safety regulations require the use of impact-resistant helmets.the act of regulating or the state of being regulated: Adolescence is a potentially important time in the development of emotion regulation.Sports. the normal, prescribed duration of a game according to the sport's regulations, exclusive of any extra innings, overtime period, etc.: The Knicks tied the score in the final seconds of regulation, sending the game into overtime.Biology. the internal response that an organism undergoes to adapt to external stimuli (distinguished from control def. 16): Regulation of blood flow is an essential mechanism for delivering oxygen and glucose to the tissues that need it most.Genetics. the act or process of controlling the expression of genes:Scientists are hoping to discover whether viruses can be used to study gene regulation in mammalian cells.Embryology. the process by which an embryo can continue to develop normally after it has been damaged:Added cells become normally integrated into the body of the host embryo, which provides additional evidence of embryonic regulation.Electronics. the difference between maximum and minimum voltage drops between the anode and the cathode of a gas tube for a specified range of values of the anode current.Machinery. the percentage difference in some quantity related to the operation of an apparatus or machine, as the voltage output of a transformer or the speed of a motor, between the value of the quantity at no-load operation and its value at full-load operation.See moreadjectiveprescribed by or conforming to regulation: regulation army equipment.usual; normal; customary: the regulation decorations for a Halloween party.Sports. during the normal, prescribed duration of a game:Both teams are entitled to two timeouts in each half of regulation play.See moreOrigin of regulation1First recorded in 1665–75; regulate + -ionOther words for regulation2 direction, management, dispensation, disposition, adjustmentSee synonyms for regulation on Thesaurus.comOther words from regulationnon·reg·u·la·tion, nouno·ver·reg·u·la·tion, nounre·reg·u·la·tion, nounsu·per·reg·u·la·tion, nounWords Nearby regulationregularlyregular tertiariesregular verbregulateregulated tenancyregulationRegulation TRegulation Uregulatorregulator pinregulatoryDictionary.com Unabridged

Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024How to use regulation in a sentenceLayers upon layers of regulations may seem like bureaucracy.A CRISPR Baby Future? New Report Outlines Path to Human Germline Editing | Shelly Fan | September 15, 2020 | Singularity Hub If everything has to be coordinated by the minute, you need clear rules and regulations.What if Your Company Had No Rules? (Bonus Episode) | Maria Konnikova | September 12, 2020 | FreakonomicsThough the regulations around them are still somewhat piecemeal, drones have seen a steady uptick in practical use cases over the last couple years.Walmart Is Piloting Drone Delivery in North Carolina | Vanessa Bates Ramirez | September 11, 2020 | Singularity Hub Under the Clean Air Act, industrial facilities emitting these pollutants are subject to regulations.New Research Shows Disproportionate Rate of Coronavirus Deaths in Polluted Areas | by Lylla Younes, ProPublica, and Sara Sneath | September 11, 2020 | ProPublicaThe most important thing it did for me is to not think of regulation just as a tool that will help in limiting these systems.Eight case studies on regulating biometric technology show us a path forward | Karen Hao | September 4, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewIn other words, unnecessarily stringent abortion regulation could be far more dangerous than abortion itself.Abortion Complications Are Rare, No Matter What the Right Says | Samantha Allen | December 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOthers fear that giving them the force of regulation could be more harmful because they would become outdated quickly.How Your Pacemaker Will Get Hacked | Kaiser Health News | November 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTGun regulation, of course, was not the only successful initiative, not by a long shot.One of the Midterms’ Little-Noticed Big Losers: The NRA | Cliff Schecter | November 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe resulting negotiation, they hope, would gut the EPA regulation.If You Think D.C. Is Awful Now, Wait Until Wednesday | Jonathan Alter | November 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMany people simply take it for granted that government regulation achieves its intended ends.The Best Regulator? That’s Easy. It’s the Market. | Veronique de Rugy | October 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHis presence, also, always graced Walls End Castle at the regulation periods.The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsThe regulation chairs and tables of the furnished house had been banished from Mrs. Haggard's drawing-room.The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsWell, we must try our luck with a regulation sabre; they can't well refuse it; ours is the stronger and bigger man.The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsHis smooth brow wrinkled and his mouth tightened to a thin straight line beneath the fair "regulation" moustache.Dope | Sax RohmerDoing so, I received a different sort of salute from that to which a Commander-in-Chief landing on duty is entitled by regulation.Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonSee More ExamplesBritish Dictionary definitions for regulationregulation/ (ˌrɛɡjʊˈleɪʃən) /nounthe act or process of regulatinga rule, principle, or condition that governs procedure or behavioura governmental or ministerial order having the force of lawembryol the ability of an animal embryo to develop normally after its structure has been altered or damaged in some way(modifier) as required by official rules or procedure: regulation uniform(modifier) normal; usual; conforming to accepted standards: a regulation haircutelectrical engineering the change in voltage occurring when a load is connected across a power supply, caused by internal resistance (for direct current) or internal impedance (alternating current)See moreCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition

© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins

Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Cultural definitions for regulationregulationLaws through which governments can control privately owned businesses.The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition

Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.Browse#aabbccddeeffgghhiijjkkllmmnnooppqqrrssttuuvvwwxxyyzzAboutCareersShopContact usAdvertise with usCookies, terms, & privacyDo not sell my infoFollow usGet the Word of the Day every day!Sign upBy clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.My account© 2024 Dictionary.com, LLC