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Agency proliferation and the globalization of the regulatory state: Introducing a data set on the institutional features of regulatory agencies
Author(s) -
Jordana Jacint,
FernándeziMarín Xavier,
Bianculli Andrea C.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
regulation and governance
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.417
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1748-5991
pISSN - 1748-5983
DOI - 10.1111/rego.12189
Subject(s) - accountability , globalization , agency (philosophy) , regulatory state , typology , variety (cybernetics) , independence (probability theory) , autonomy , state (computer science) , politics , public economics , regulatory agency , regulatory reform , public administration , economic system , business , political science , economics , sociology , market economy , social science , statistics , mathematics , algorithm , artificial intelligence , anthropology , computer science , law
State structures have experienced significant transformation with the spread of globalization. This paper examines how to measure one major change that has occurred in recent decades: the worldwide proliferation of public agencies with regulatory tasks. It remains unclear how their configurations vary across countries and sectors, and what can be learned from these variations. To better identify these agencies worldwide, we introduce a new dataset on the institutional features of 799 agencies in 115 countries and 17 policy sectors. The dataset contains variables from their institutional profiles, covering a broad range of formal characteristics. To examine the diverse faces the regulatory state has adopted along its globalization path in depth, our variables are grouped into four blocs: regulatory responsibilities, managerial autonomy, political independence, and public accountability. As such, we depart from the view that a single dimension does capture the actual diversity of institutional forms regulatory agencies may exhibit. We also use factor and cluster analyses to assess their various forms, and suggest a typology of agency institutional models to facilitate more precise studies on the regulatory state. Results confirm that the regulatory state shows greater variety than usually expected.