Exploring Mechanisms of Institutional Design wich Promote Compliance

This paper explores institutional design strategies that promote compliance by regulated agents. Without a doubt, this is one of the central topics in contemporary political theory. Many illustrious traditions in political theory have held that institutions should be designed in such a way that they are capable of ensuring compliance of a nation of devils. This paper argues that such a viewpoint is erroneous and that effective regulatory institutions must assume virtue but must also be prepared for non-compliance; a view shared by some of the most renowned contemporary authors in the field of institutional design. In what follows, the contributions of scholars such as P. Pettit, I Ayres, J. Braithwaite, V. Braithwaite, T. Makkai, N. Gunningham, or P. Grabosky, among others, are reviewed. The possible problems and limitations that may arise with these proposals are then discussed and future lines of work suggested.