The Political Economy of Rule Evasion and Policy Reform

The Political Economy of Rule Evasion and Policy Reform develops the logic underlying the connections between breaking the rules and making the rules. Approaching policy issues from the point of view of rule circumvention provides a perspective that illuminates a wide variety of phenomena:

* implicit tolerance of extensive illegal behaviour, treadmills of reform, delays of major policy changes

* the complexity of rules

* potential for perverse outcomes from policy reforms

* corruption of enforcers

* trade-offs between a rule-based and a discretionary policy.

This ground-breaking new book is written in a clear readable style and is replete with a wide variety of examples, including case studies on zero tolerance policies, the demise of the Soviet Union, and the ongoing transformation of firearm regulations in Britain and the US.