Regulatory Appraisal: A Neglected Opportunity for Law and Economics

Governments are increasingly using cost-benefit analysis to appraise regulatory proposals. In this paper, the author reviews recent practice in the USA and UK. Drawing particularly on examples of analysis undertaken by the British Health and Safety Executive, he argues that a technique originally adopted to assess the merits of public projects is, as yet, insufficiently sensitive to some of the problematic aspects of the interaction between legal instruments and human behaviour. These aspects are the focus of much law-and-economics analysis and the value of regulatory appraisal would be enhanced by an increased input of such analysis.     

Discretion and rights

Discretion and rights     

Adolescent depression in a school-based community sample: Preliminary findings on contributing social factors

A two wave survey carried out on a large community sample of adolescents with increased risk for problems with social functioning is described. In this paper we report the prevalence of depression in this population and social factors that contribute to it. The prevalence of depression is twice that in other studies. Stress is both a risk and causal factor in depression while relatively low social self-efficacy moderately increases risk. Being female is a risk factor for depression. The perception of parents and siblings as a source of support appears to be a key factor in protection from the onset of depression.Received M.D. from Queen's University. Research interests include developmental experiences that influence adolescent and adult social functioning, and mechanisms of mortality rates in post coronary depressed subjects.Received Ph.D. from University of Waterloo. Research interests are risk factors affecting depression in adolescents and young adults and social factors associated with chronic pain.Received Ph.D. from McMaster University. Research interests are psycho-social factors that influence adolescent well being, measurement of clinical competence, and research design.Received M.A. from McMaster University.