Regulatory Attitudes and Behavior: The Case of Surface Mining Regulation

Hedge, David M.; Menzel, Donald C.; Williams, George

doi:10.2307/448541

Cited by 28 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Observers of regulatory enforcement consistently comment on the broad discretion that each inspector must deal with in determining how closely to scrutinize a given establishment, whether observed conditions constitute a violation, and whether a violation is intentional and should be cited or "accidental" and should be dealt with informally (Hawkins 1984;Kagan 1989). Discretion leads to considerable variation in the way different inspectors (Feinstein 1989) and field offices (Hedge, Menzel, and Williams 1988;Hutter 1988;Shover et al 1984) enforce the same law and even to variation in the way similar cases are treated in the same office (Kagan 1978).…”

Section: Sources Of Field Office Discretionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…However, Chubb argued explicitly that influence derives from Washington-based activities of representatives; and Scholz and Wei's research design could not rule out central activities as the source of partisan influences. Furthermore, Hedge, Menzel, and Williams (1988) argued that federal officials enforcing strip-mining regulations were resistant to local partisan influences, at least in comparison with state enforcement agencies.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Street-Level Political Controls Over Federal Bureaucracy

1991

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

LmlOC ocal partisan activities of legislators and their electoral coalitions systematically influence field office activities of federal bureaucracies in their electoral districts. This alternative to centralized democratic controls over bureaucracy occurs because discretionary policy decisions made at the field office level are influenced by local resources generated through partisan activities. Our study of county-level Occupational Safety and Health Administration enforcement in New York finds that county, state, and federal elected officials influence local enforcement activities, with liberal, Democratic legislators associated with more active enforcement. The county political parties are most influential for activities with the most local discretion, while members of Congress are more influential for local activities more readily controlled by the national office.

show abstract

Section: Sources Of Field Office Discretionmentioning

confidence: 97%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Street-Level Political Controls Over Federal Bureaucracy

1991

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…What people think about an individual or a situation will impact the way they deal with that individual or how they approach a similar situation in the future. Hedge et al (1988) conclude that regulatory approaches and styles are informed by the perceptions and experiences of frontline regulators. For example, if inspectors perceive the regulated community as out to harm the environment in pursuit of profit, then they are likely to approach their interactions with them from a skeptical and cautious point of view.…”

Section: Frontline Regulators and Their Perceptionsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Just as perceptions affect interactions and relationships in myriad contexts, perceptions also impact the work of government regulators. Hedge, Menzel, and Williams (1988) conclude that regulators' approach to interacting with the regulated community is informed by their perceptions and experiences with the regulated community. This acknowledgment produces the question: How do frontline environmental regulators perceive the regulated community?…”

Section: )mentioning

confidence: 99%

Their Views Matter: Frontline Regulators' Perceptions of the Regulated Community in Ohio

Pautz

2012

Policy Studies Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Frontline regulators are largely responsible for the implementation and ongoing compliance with environmental laws. Yet, as with other frontline worker populations, environmental regulators are routinely overlooked. Existing acknowledgment of these regulators typically only extends to the regulatory enforcement strategy their agency employs. Missing in these conversations is a focused study on regulators themselves and their perceptions of the regulated community that they interact with daily. Understanding these perceptions will provide insights into how regulators approach their interactions and how they ensure regulatory compliance. This research reports on one‐on‐one interviews and a statewide survey of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency frontline regulators and their perceptions of the regulated community. Findings from this survey reveal generally positive perceptions of the regulated community in Ohio and experiences with them. These findings call attention to a neglected population and emphasize the importance of regulators' perceptions in their regulatory approach.

show abstract

“…The other is the 'strict' or 'legalistic' style that applies all regulations uniformly and strictly. The discretionary style is typically associated with British, and the legalistic style with American administration (Vogel, 1986;Gray and Scholz, 1993:179;Hutter, 1988:6-7;Silbey, 1984:161;Hutter, 1997:234;Hedge et al, 1988).…”

Section: Enforcementmentioning

confidence: 99%