Rescuing Regulation

Rescuing Regulation is a remarkable book for six important reasons: 1) it clarifies the debate: Dibadji cuts a clear swath through the ideological and political debates separating rhetoric from substance. It clearly identifies the contours, issues and uses of the rhetoric of neo-classical economics and examines how it used to frame the debate as markets versus government. It examines critically the ideology of the regulation-deregulation debate and addresses the issue of equitable distributions. 2) It identifies the substantial issues for discussion of regulation – effective democracy, effective government for social well-being and well-functioning markets. 3) It sets out the clearly religious character of much neo-classical economic faith. 4) It provides new directions using the new insights gained from interdisciplinary research. 5) It provides a balanced historical view of issues and regulatory responses. And, 6) it is very readable, indeed, an enjoyable read about a critically important topic – rescuing regulation from the moribund ideological debates between conservatives, who believe in a neo-classical economic utopia, and those concerned about collective well-being in the real world.