Regulators’ preferences for a more strict or more lenient enforcement: A quantitative multi-sector and multi-country study into regulators’ perceptions of suboptimal enforcement

In an era marked by rapid societal transformation, traditional regulatory frameworks struggle to keep up with developments such as the proliferation of biometric surveillance and personalized advertising, the emergence of decentralized digital currencies, and the production of lab-grown food. These rapid societal evolutions demand a more adaptive regulatory approach and a thorough re-evaluation of key actors' roles in the regulatory landscape. This paper examines the dynamic interplay between administrative bodies and regulatory agencies in three sectors - data protection, finance, and food safety, across six countries - Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Poland and Norway. Administrative bodies or ministries are responsible for the development and implementation of regulations, whilst regulatory agencies oversee and enforce compliance with the regulations. Together, these actors determine how regulations are formed, supervised, and enforced. Little is known about what shapes these actors' perceptions of regulatory enforcement, specifically why they might view enforcement as either excessively strict or lenient. This paper investigates the drivers behind these perceptions, focusing on how the judgement of regulated entities, political and sectoral pressures interact to shape their views on the strictness of enforcement. Therefore, this study provides valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners, potentially informing the development of more effective and adaptive regulatory strategies. Employing a data triangulation methodology, we combine survey data at the individual and actor group levels with organisationally coded qualitative data from regulations and policy documents. The data will be analysed through multiple regression analysis, examining the interactions across the three sectors.