Drain the Swamp to Save the Swamp: mitigating capture in environmental regulatory systems

Abstract

Regulatory capture undermines the integrity and effectiveness of environmental regulatory systems by allowing the power of vested
interests to undermine the public interest in nature (i.e., humanity’s collective interest in a healthy and sustainable biosphere). Mitigating the capture of environmental regulatory systems necessitates a deliberate rebalancing of the power of different actors within a democratic context to reduce the typical dominance of vested interests. This rebalancing must address both the narrative framing and direct capture actions of vested interests (Ulucanlar et al., 2023). Cumulatively, the mitigation strategies we propose (promoting evidence-based policy, rigorous analysis, transparency and supporting public interest advocacy) will support that rebalancing.