Regulatory capture involves situations in which:
a)a bureaucracy is responsive to the interest of the group or corporation that they are supposed to regulate
b)bureaucrats make decisions without reference to interest groups, elected officials, or even their own policy views
c)legislators take away bureaucratic discretion through more specific laws
d)bureaucrats act independent of the influence of either legislators or the president
This site will help you decide which choice answers the question.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulatory_capture
The answer is a) a bureaucracy is responsive to the interests of the group or corporation they are supposed to regulate.
To arrive at the answer, we need to understand what regulatory capture means. Regulatory capture refers to a situation where regulatory agencies, which are supposed to act in the public interest by regulating industries and ensuring compliance, instead come to be influenced by the very industries they are supposed to regulate. This influence can be exerted through various means, such as lobbying, campaign contributions, or even the revolving door phenomenon where regulators move between the industry they regulate and the regulatory agency itself.
Option a) states that regulatory capture involves a bureaucracy being responsive to the interests of the group or corporation they are supposed to regulate. This aligns with the definition of regulatory capture and accurately describes the phenomenon.
Option b) suggests that bureaucrats make decisions without any reference to interest groups, elected officials, or their own policy views. While this could occur in some cases, it does not specifically capture the essence of regulatory capture, which involves being influenced by the industry being regulated.
Option c) states that legislators restrict bureaucratic discretion by implementing more specific laws. While this may be a potential response to concerns about regulatory capture, it does not directly describe the phenomenon itself.
Option d) suggests that bureaucrats act independently of the influence of both legislators and the president. While this may be an ideal scenario, in the context of regulatory capture, it is not a characteristic of the phenomenon.
Therefore, the correct answer is option a) a bureaucracy is responsive to the interests of the group or corporation they are supposed to regulate.