ABSTRACT
SUMMARY. There is general agreement that a national seed regulatory regime should respond to economic, political and technological factors specific to the particular country, but there is considerable controversy regarding the direction of regulatory reform. Regulation can be seen as a response to deficiencies in information. In the case of seed regulation, the major concerns are ensuring that farmers have adequate information about the seed that they purchase and that society is protected from nega tive externalities. Although these aims are clear, the performance of seed regulation is often problematic in terms of efficiency, relevance and transparency. Any approach to regulatory reform must acknowledge that it will be the outcome of political compromise; assign responsibilities for the distinct elements of regulation (standards, monitoring and enforce-
Robert Tripp is affiilated with Overseas Development Institute, London, UK. Address correspondence to: Robert Tripp, Overseas Development Institute, 111
ment); and take full advantage of market mechanisms for transmitting information. [Article copies available fo r a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: <getinfo@haworthpressinc. com> Website: <https://www.HaworthPress.com>; © 2002 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.]
INTRODU CTIO N
Regulation is a subject that raises mixed emotions and contradictory inter pretations in discussions of economic policy. A proposal for regulation may convey the image of steady, expert guidance, while at other times it may be seen as unwarranted meddling and the cause of needless distortion. These am biguous perceptions are characteristic of debates about seed regulation, and they help explain why seed regulatory reform is a controversial element of ag ricultural liberalization policies.
