ABSTRACT
Social regulation is a popularized term employed to represent the set of regulatory programs directed at various social goals such as improved health, safety, and the environmental conditions. While this genre of regulation is by no means new—a Federal Food and Drug Act was passed in 1906—its intensity increased markedly in the 1960s and 1970s, especially at the federal level. The accomplishments of the new social regulation during the past decade have been discouragingly modest, while the costs appear to have been high. In certain areas social deregulation may be appropriate, but in general what is needed are more efficient and more effective regulatory approaches. Social regulation has been a contributing factor. Barring comprehensive assessment, one can examine individual regulations or sets of regulations and evaluate their impacts. Unfortunately, the findings are not especially encouraging. Social regulation is likely to alter the pace and direction of technological advance in unpredictable ways, some of which may be beneficial.
