Dynamics of Regulation in Ireland: Advocacy, Power and Institutional Interests covers the theory and practice of the regulation of business in Ireland, and examines the forces that shape it and determine its scope. Essentially, various competing interests try to effect or block change - both structurally and opportunistically - and thus to accrue or retain ‘regulatory property’. A conceptual model of the dynamics of regulation across all market sectors in Ireland is developed and applied. The strategies of the most important actors - including business, government and regulatory agencies - are tracked. The model developed and the theory that underpins it are tested against two regulatory legal provisions in Irish law - the directors’ compliance statement and the ban on below-cost selling. One of the case studies deals with over-regulation and the other with a restrictive practice. The conceptual model is distilled into a 15-point toolkit for regulatory practitioners in Ireland as they consider regulatory reforms or the determination of regulatory issues. As it is grounded in the ‘real world’ of contested regulation, this toolkit will prove to be of immense practical assistance.
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Developing a conceptual framework for the dynamics of regulation
Chapter 3: Study design and methodology
Chapter 4: Overview of regulation and regulatory trends in Ireland
Chapter 5: Market governance in Ireland: dealing with big beasts
Chapter 6: Market governance in Ireland: addressing regulatory capture
Chapter 7: Conclusions: a conceptual model of the dynamics of market governance and regulatory change in Ireland
Bibliography
Index