REGULATION: Government rules or laws that control the activities of businesses and consumers. The motivation for regulation is that businesses are inclined to do things that are harmful to the public--actions which need to be prevented or otherwise controlled. Regulation is essentially an extension of government's authority to protect one member of society from another. It tends to take one of two forms--(1) industry regulation that's intended to prevent firms from gaining and abusing excessive market control and (2) social regulation that seeks to protect consumers for problems caused by pollution, unsafe products, and the lack of information (market failure).

     See also | government | government functions | public sector | public goods | regulatory policy | second estate | industry regulation | social regulation | market control | pollution | market failure | information | antitrust laws | taxes | price ceiling | price floor | regulation, capture theory | deregulation |

REGULATION, AmosWEB GLOSS*arama, http://www.AmosWEB.com, AmosWEB LLC, 2000-2026. [Accessed: April 11, 2026].

Back to the GLOSS*arama

A condition in the market in which the quantity demanded is greater than the quantity supplied at the existing price. Because buyers are unable to buy as much of the good as they want, a shortage generally causes an increase in the market price, which then acts to restore equilibrium. A shortage, which also goes by the terms excess demand and sellers' market, is one of two basic states of disequilibrium for the market. The other is surplus.

Complete Entry | Visit the WEB*pedia

Today, you are likely to spend a great deal of time at a garage sale wanting to buy either a large stuffed brown and white teddy bear or a replacement washer for your kitchen faucet. Be on the lookout for empty parking spaces that appear to be near the entrance to a store.
Your Complete Scope

This isn't me! What am I?

-- Victor Hugo, Writer

User Feedback