This project examines the role of regulators and regulatory agencies in the formulation and enforcement of public policy, and how these roles are shaped by both the internal and external organizational environment, in particular, how the environmental context affects how regulators react to their various publics as represented by consumer as well as capitalist interests. Data will be gathered on these and related issues through interviews with financial service regulators, banking industry representatives, and representatives from community organizations and through analysis of documents within the services policy arena. The financial services venue includes regulations that deal with economic stability and the safety of financial system (focusing on capitalist interests) as well as regulations that provide public rights and protections (focusing on consumer or individual interests). I propose a cross case historical analysis which will permit me to examine policy evolution over time and between cases. In addition, I will examine public and private documents and publications relating to regulatory, implementation, and enforcement. I will analyze within the context of the economic and political environment to understand how regulators matter in the policy process, and examine the opportunities available to financial institutions and community groups to influence this process. This research on regulatory agencies and their role in public policy will contribute to our understanding of financial regulators and agencies and will help fill in an integral piece in understanding the development and evolution of public policy as well as extend organizational research in the realm of public institutions. In a broader context, this detailed analysis of the regulatory processes and the influence of various environmental factors on regulatory outcomes is anticipated to be beneficial to both policy makers and community organizers interested in influencing the policy making process.
