Source
Proceedings of the 5th International Conference. Measuring the Burden of Injury, June 3-4, 2004, Baden bei Wien, Austria. Ottawa, Canada: Transport Canada, 2004 Jun; :8-11
Abstract
The United States government routinely regulates specific social problems, such as worker safety, unfair competitive advantage, water and air pollution, product safety, and discrimination. Social regulation is not a new phenomenon in the United States - dating back to the mid 1800's. A flurry of regulatory activity occurred in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Within that 10-year period, numerous new government agencies were established, including the Environmental Protection Agency, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and Consumer Product Safety Commission to support the promulgation of new regulations. Regulations are government rules or laws, frequently referred to as delegated or secondary legislation, that control the activities of businesses and consumers. Regulation provides protection to one member of society from another - it protects consumers from market failures, such as lack of information regarding the true costs of business actions. Correcting market failures is one reason for regulation, but improving the functioning of government, removing distributional unfairness, or promoting privacy and personal freedom are also cause for regulation.