Dimensions of Enforcement Style: Factoring in Regulatory Autonomy and Capacity

Abstract:     
This article explores how the concept of enforcement style can be adapted to be more analytically useful in the study of regulatory behavior and its effects in developing countries. In its first part, the article sets forth a dimensional conception of enforcement style and suggests two new dimensions to incorporate the variations in the autonomy and capacity of regulatory agencies that are so significant in developing countries. In its second part, the article uses this analytical framework to compare the enforcement styles of state environmental agencies in two Brazilian states, São Paulo and Pará.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 34

Keywords: enforcement style, regulatory enforcement, autonomy, capacity, Brazil, developing countries

JEL Classification: K32, K10

Accepted Paper Series