Deep Capture

"Regulatory capture: The core problem for Washington?

Lawmakers already are determined to re-regulate Wall Street in the wake of the financial crisis. But experts say these efforts may be in vain unless some cure is found for regulatory capture -- when regulators eventually come to champion the industry that they are supposed to oversee"

This idea has been on my mind for about two years as I have grown in my profession. The idea of "capture" is an interesting one from the point of view of a regulator/bureaucrat - especially in a small town, where the players are always the same. You get to know those you work with, those you are expected to regulate. A gatekeeper is a tough job, an unsung job. If you do your tasks well, no one will notice. If you mess up, you'll be in a heap on the corner. So where do you find value and appreciation - by working with those you are to regulate, developing relationships, providing good 'service', appeasing, conceding, facilitating, championing. The idea of Deep Capture is not only limited to the financial sector but to every sector involving human regulators. Check out the site

http://www.deepcapture.com/

for some interesting articles and commentary on the difficulties with the concept of Deep Capture.