noun phrase · academic
regulatory capture
UK/ˌrɛɡjʊˈleɪtəri ˈkæptʃə/US/ˌrɛɡjəˈleɪtɔːri ˈkæptʃər/reg·u·LA·to·ry CAP·ture
When a regulatory agency advances the commercial or political concerns of special interest groups that dominate the industry it is charged with regulating.
Examples
“Critics accused the agency of regulatory capture after most board members previously worked for the companies they regulated.”
“Regulatory capture can lead to weaker standards and higher prices for consumers.”
“Preventing regulatory capture requires transparency and strong conflict-of-interest rules.”
Band 8 sentence
“Regulatory capture undermines public trust because it transforms watchdogs into promoters of the industries they should oversee.”
Collocations
- suffer from regulatory capture
- prevent regulatory capture
- risk of regulatory capture
Word family
Common mistakes
regulation capture→regulatory capture
capture by regulators→regulatory capture
Say it for a higher band
5regulators favour industry→6agency capture→7+regulatory capture
Synonyms
agency capture
Easily confused
conflict of interest
“A clear conflict of interest occurred when the official sat on the board of a company she regulated.”
Related words
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In Society & Government
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