debunking myths July 21, 2008
Posted by Bradley in : Uncategorized , trackback
I’m not sure whether Governmental campaigns to debunk myths work at all. The UK’s Health and Safety Executive has been running cartoons on a page headlined “Myth of the Month” which try to challenge myths about regulation. The EU has a long list of euromyths from the UK media. And it seems that there has been a similar problem in Romania. But there is a more complex problem than can be addressed by such periodic denials, and it isn’t helped by governmental support of the ideas of better regulation – although this claims to be about ensuring that inappropriate regulation is eliminated/not applied, it often seems to be about the idea of regulation as a problem, rather than as sometimes necessary to protect vulnerable groups.
The House of Commons Regulatory Reform Committee thinks that efforts to date to make regulation better do need more publicity:
We conclude that the BRE has made a significant contribution to improving regulation in a relatively short period and will have a crucial role to play in co-ordinating further reform. It is seen as a positive force in changing regulatory culture, although it could perhaps do more to publicise its role and achievements, which we believe should be more widely recognised.
The BRE now needs to focus on change that builds on reform to make greater impacts on perceptions of regulation. That will need creative and persistent work to fit regulation better to the way in which businesses, consumers and all members of society behave.
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