Specialization and Fragmentation in Regulatory Regimes

Abstract

In recent years, the regulation literature has reported a marked increase in the complexity of regulation. New regulatory organizations have emerged as a result of the hiving off of tasks from existing organizations (Jordana and Levi-Faur 2004). First, specialized regulators have been created in multiple sectors (Christensen and Lægreid 2006). Secondly, authority has been dispersed from central states towards multiple levels of government. National states delegated authority to subnational (e.g. regions) and supranational levels. These new organizations have not entirely replaced the old ones, which led to an accumulation of institutions.