Regulation

Regulation is the management of complex systems. It is based on a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in many parts of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings. For example:

• in biology, gene regulation and metabolic regulation allow living organisms to adapt to their environment and keep homeostasis;
• in government, typically regulation means delegated legislation which is created by an expert^[1]
• in business, industry self-regulation happens through self-regulatory organizations and trade associations which allow industries to set and enforce rules with less government involvement; and,
• in psychology, self-regulation theory is the study of how individuals regulate their thoughts and behaviors to reach goals.

The opposite of regulation is deregulation.

1. ↑ Levi-Faur, David, Regulation and Regulatory Governance, Jerusalem Papers in Regulation and Governance, No.1, 2010