ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the interplay between general theories of regulation and histories of accounting regulation. It defines regulation as the set of institutions, or ‘rules of the game,’ that constrain and enable the practice of accounting. It identifies five theoretical frames (public interest theory, regulatory capture theory, corporatist theory, negotiated order theories and cultural theories) and explores the way that these theories inform interpretations of the introduction, consequences, persistence and disappearance of regulatory institutions in accounting. These theories include teleological, evolutionary and naturalistic perspectives.
