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Strict Enforcement or Responsive Regulation? How Inspector–Inspectee Interaction and Inspectors’ Role Identity Shape Decision Making

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Inspectors and Enforcement at the Front Line of Government

Abstract

In line with a general trend towards more responsive regulation, inspectors are expected to take inspectees’ needs and demands in account when making decisions. At the same time, inspection services increasingly apply instruments aimed at directing the inspectors’ actions. These contradictory signals can make the work of inspectors very difficult. By reviewing relevant literature, this chapter shows that not only inspectees’ behavior and characteristics, but also inspectors’ professional role identity, i.e. the way inspectors view their professional role, is critical to explain and predict decision making on the ground.

Alphabetic sequence: The first and second author contributed equally to this chapter.

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Correspondence to Kim Loyens .

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Loyens, K., Schott, C., Steen, T. (2019). Strict Enforcement or Responsive Regulation? How Inspector–Inspectee Interaction and Inspectors’ Role Identity Shape Decision Making. In: Van de Walle, S., Raaphorst, N. (eds) Inspectors and Enforcement at the Front Line of Government . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04058-1_5

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