Cure or disease? The unintended consequences of regulation

Released to coincide with a seminar event at the Conservative Party Conference on 7 October 2009, this paper from Keith Boyfield argues that while Governments and regulators invariably claim that regulations are introduced for the most laudable of reasons, regulations often have unforeseen and highly damaging consequences. This paper discusses some striking examples of this trend across a spectrum of business and social sectors, ranging from banking and finance to health and safety regulations.