There’s a frequent complaint around government’s performance. Measurements for outcomes on public policies are difficult to evaluate. So how do we know when regulations meant to make things better, work?
One sense of it could be reflected by the populations adherence to the new rule. For instance, when smoking was banned from indoor areas there was a lot of grumbling. Now, a quarter-century later, it is rare to enter a home hanging heavy with the sent a-la-ashtray. The constituents agree. No smoking is great! Don’t even think about lighting up by the public entrances to buildings as perfuming oneself with the sent of Marlboros is not OK.
Some cities place permit requirements on all sorts of home improvements. I doubt there are objections to paying for an city inspector to stop out for the significant improvement projects like roof replacement or furnace upgrades. But the fees can hit smaller appliances like gas ranges or hot water heaters too. In these cases the regulatory charge adds an additional ten to twelve percent to the new appliance. After paying a sales tax and a delivery fee, people find this onerous.
As a result, people bypass the permit process. Pretty soon it becomes a known thing and nobody is following the rule. When the public ignores a regulatory process, I’d say it’s time for a reassessment.
Home Economics 