The extent to which government should be involved with regulation in the private sector is much debated. More fundamentally, one might ask exactly what is regulation, why is it needed, how is it formulated, and how is it enforced? These questions are especially relevant at a time in United States history when federal involvement in spheres traditionally left to individuals is being widely debated on all sides of the political spectrum.
Eugene Bardach is professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of The Skill Factor in Politics, The Implementation Game, A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis, and most recently Getting Agencies to Work Together: The Practice and Theory of Managerial Craftsmanship.