Abstract

Many public policy initiatives encounter opposition from interest groups which perceive threats to advantages currently enjoyed. There is an asymmetry between those self-consciously aware of the benefits they might lose and those unaware of their role as potential future beneficiaries. This is true in land use changes, development and housing policy, among other policy areas. This analysis looks at the impact made by such groups on the legislative process, and at approaches that have been tried to neutralize or circumvent their opposition.

Dr Madsen Pirie graduated (in different subjects) from the Universities of Edinburgh, St Andrews and Cambridge. He is President of the Adam Smith Institute think tank, and has contributed to many policy initiatives that were enacted into legislation, and worked on the UK market liberalization programme. Prior to that he worked on Capitol Hill in Washington and was Professor of Philosophy at Hillsdale in Michigan. He served on the Prime Minister’s Citizen’s Charter Panel from 1991-1995. He was co-winner of the National Free Enterprise Award in 2010, and is a Senior Research Fellow in the Dept of Land Economy at Cambridge.