Hierarchical Capture: Bridging the Gap in Analyses of the Bureaucracy

Duginger, Stephen

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/99861 Copy

Description

Title

Hierarchical Capture: Bridging the Gap in Analyses of the Bureaucracy

Author(s)

Duginger, Stephen

Contributor(s)

Sin, Gisela

Issue Date

2018-04

Keyword(s)

• Political Science
• Government
• Bureaucracy
• Regulation
• Capture
• Environment

Abstract

Economist and Nobel laureate George Stigler coined the term Regulatory Capture, a phenomenon that occurs when regulators craft more lenient regulation to benefit a particular industry in exchange for some kind of benefit from said industry (Stigler, 1971). Since the early 1970’s, the American public has increasingly felt disenfranchised from the government agencies that are tasked with regulating in their interest. The fields of Economics and Political Science have developed several theories to help explain these phenomena, including the theories of the Iron Triangle and the Revolving Door. So which one is right? In my research, I argue that they all are in a new, more holistic theory that I refer to as Hierarchical Capture. Rather than capture happening passively through relationships between industries and regulatory agencies, this theory argues that it can be initiated from the top and within said agencies through the political appointment process. Specifically, I explored the work experience of Senate-confirmed administrators of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to analyze how that affected the volume of enforcement actions initiated by the agency.

Type of Resource

image

Language

en

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/99861

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2018 Stephen Duginger

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