For years, businesses have complained about the costs of regulatory compliance. On the other hand, society is becoming increasingly aware of the environmental, safety, health, financial, and other risks of business activity. Government oversight seems to be one of the answers to safeguard against these risks. But how can we deregulate and regulate without jeopardizing our public goals or acting as a brake on economic growth? Many instruments are available to assess the effects of laws regulating business, including the regulatory impact assessment (RIA), which contains cost/benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, risk analysis, and cost assessments. This book argues that public goals will be achieved more effectively if compliance costs of the enterprises are as low as possible. Highlighting examples from a wide spectrum of industries and countries, the authors propose a new kind of RIA, the business impact assessment (BIA), designed to improve both business and public policy decision making.

The premise of this volume is that business regulations are expected to grow in the near future as a consequence of the emergence of a "(world) risk society." Risks related to terrorism, climate change, and financial crises, for example, will penetrate all conditions of life. Increasingly, the decisions and actions of some bring about risks for many in this era of globalization. Controlling these risks implies managing the world through high-quality regulation, with a particular emphasis on businesses and financial institutions. Central to this approach is the argument that a major, if not the primary, aim of regulation is to internalize externalities, or in a broader context, to repair market failure. Such repair can only be accomplished when the costs are smaller than the welfare gains. Featuring contributions from researchers and policy analysts from the fields of economics, management, law, sociology, political science, and environmental policy, this book focuses on three major topics: * Social risks and business regulation * Preconditions for better business regulation * Theoretical issues related to better business regulation Collectively, the authors demonstrate that the easier it is for regulated businesses to comply at the lowest costs possible-without jeopardizing the related public goals-the greater the degree of compliance. When successful, the net result is a balance of individual and collective net benefits, and by further implication, sustainable business practice and economic growth.

The premise of this volume is that business regulations are expected to grow in the near future as a consequence of the emergence of a "(world) risk society." Risks related to terrorism, climate change, and financial crises, for example, will penetrate all conditions of life. Increasingly, the decisions and actions of some bring about risks for many in this era of globalization. Controlling these risks implies managing the world through high-quality regulation, with a particular emphasis on businesses and financial institutions. Central to this approach is the argument that a major, if not the primary, aim of regulation is to internalize externalities, or in a broader context, to repair market failure. Such repair can only be accomplished when the costs are smaller than the welfare gains. Featuring contributions from researchers and policy analysts from the fields of economics, management, law, sociology, political science, and environmental policy, this book focuses on three major topics: * Social risks and business regulation * Preconditions for better business regulation * Theoretical issues related to better business regulation Collectively, the authors demonstrate that the easier it is for regulated businesses to comply at the lowest costs possible-without jeopardizing the related public goals-the greater the degree of compliance. When successful, the net result is a balance of individual and collective net benefits, and by further implication, sustainable business practice and economic growth.

For years, businesses have complained about the costs of regulatory compliance. On the other hand, society is becoming increasingly aware of the environmental, safety, health, financial, and other risks of business activity. Government oversight seems to be one of the answers to safeguard against these risks. But how can we deregulate and regulate without jeopardizing our public goals or acting as a brake on economic growth? Many instruments are available to assess the effects of laws regulating business, including the regulatory impact assessment (RIA), which contains cost/benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, risk analysis, and cost assessments. This book argues that public goals will be achieved more effectively if compliance costs of the enterprises are as low as possible. Highlighting examples from a wide spectrum of industries and countries, the authors propose a new kind of RIA, the business impact assessment (BIA), designed to improve both business and public policy decision making.