New publication: How do regulatory agencies acquire their reputation with regulatees?

A new article by Dr. Lauren Fahy and Prof. dr. Erik-Hans Klijn has been published in Public Administration Review. The study examines how regulatory agencies acquire their reputation among the organizations they supervise (‘regulatees’), an audience crucial for regulatory effectiveness and compliance.

Drawing on a ‘Q methodology’ study with 286 regulatees of 10 Dutch independent regulatory agencies, the research identified different ways regulatees form impressions of regulators.

Results show that direct interactions with agency staff are generally far more influential than media coverage or communications activities. At the same time, regulatees differ in the factors they consider most important, resulting in three distinct profiles: ‘Client-’, ‘Procedurally-’, ‘and Citizen-Centric’ regulatees.

The findings contribute to growing scholarship on regulatory agency reputation by highlighting regulatees as a distinct stakeholder audience. They also offer practical insights for regulators seeking to strengthen their reputation and authority.

The article is available and free to read via the following link: https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.70124.

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