National Styles of Regulation

For two decades environmental regulation has occupied an important place on the political agenda of every industrial democracy. According to David Vogel, no two nations have exhibited a more striking contrast in their approaches to environmental policy than the U.S. and Great Britain. British government officials generally enjoy an extremely close and cooperative relationship with representatives of industry. In America, however, the regulatory process is highly legalistic and contentious. Surprisingly, neither nations's environmental policy has been significantly more effective than the other's. Vogel argues that these differences are not unique to environmental policies, but instead reflect each nation's larger 'regulatory styles,' a style that transcends any one policy area, affecting, for example, regulation in the areas of occupational safety & health and consumer and investor protection.