Breaking the vicious circle : toward effective risk regulation
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Breaking the vicious circle : toward effective risk regulation
（The Oliver Wendell Holmes lectures, 1992）
Harvard University Press, 1993
- : pbk
Available at 14 libraries
Note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Description and Table of Contents
- Volume
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ISBN 9780674081147
Description
Consider these scenarios: example 1 - a regulator insists that every trace of toxic substance be removed from a swamp, even though extracting that last bit would be enormously costly and yield only minor benefits; example 2 - nearly 10,000,000 American workers are exposed daily to various solvents, all of which have some neurotoxic effects, but these substances receive little attention from the federal regulators compared with anything that may cause cancer; example 3 - rules on disposal of sewage sludge, which may save one life every five years, encourage waste incineration, which is likely to cause two deaths each year. Stephen Breyer explores three difficulties currently plaguing efforts to cope with health risks, which he styles "tunnel vision, or the last 10 per cent" (example 1 above), "random agenda selection" (example 2), and "inconsistency" (example 3). He shows how well-meaning, experienced regulators can nonetheless bring about counter-productive results. Regulatory bodies, after all, are politically responsive institutions; their agendas will usually be affected by the public's demands.
Yet the more it appears that outside pressures control agency results, the less conf
- Volume
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: pbk ISBN 9780674081154
Description
Breaking the Vicious Circle is a tour de force that should be read by everyone who is interested in improving our regulatory processes. Written by a highly respected federal judge, who would go on to serve on the Supreme Court, and who obviously recognizes the necessity of regulation but perceives its failures and weaknesses as well, it pinpoints the most serious problems and offers a creative solution that would for the first time bring rationality to bear on the vital issue of priorities in our era of limited resources.
Table of Contents
Preface 1. Systematic Problems 2. Cause: The Vicious Circle 3. Solutions Notes Index
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