Cajolery or Command: Are Education Campaigns an Adequate Substitute for Regulation?

Abstract

Between the mid-sixties and the mid-seventies, the so-called "consumer decade," Congress enacted a large number of consumer protection laws, many in the area of health and safety. In recent years, some of these laws and the regulations promulgated under them have inspired harsh criticism. Some critics, including many Reagan Administration appointees, have argued that rather than regulate, government should inform and educate the public about the risks associated with various hazards and let individuals choose whether or not to take the risks.