overregulate
Impose too many rules
To overregulate is to impose excessive rules or restrictions, typically by government agencies on businesses or industries.
The term implies regulation has gone beyond what's necessary or beneficial: Critics argue the EPA overregulates small farms.
The noun overregulation and adjective overregulated follow naturally.
The word carries a political charge—what one person calls overregulation, another calls appropriate oversight.
Bureaucratic obstacles to action
- paperworkAdministrative written tasks
- officialdomCollective administrative authorities
- agenciesOrganizations providing services
- departmentsSubdivisions of an organization
governmental · civil service · administrative · permits · licensing · authorizations · clearances · registrations
Oppressive, unbreakable control
- constrainTo limit or restrict
- hamperObstruct or clothes basket
- inhibitTo restrain or hinder
- suppressForcibly put an end to
prohibit · clampdown · embargo · limitation · curtailment · constraint · ban · stricture
Accepted levels of quality
- requirementsNecessary conditions for something
- guidelinesSuggested rules for behavior
- adherenceFaithful following of something
- conformityAdherence to norms
accreditation · certification · monitoring · auditing · enforcement · accountability · governance · legislation
Creating something original
- entrepreneurshipCreating and managing ventures
- startupsNewly launched businesses
- small businessModest independent commercial venture
- market entryBeginning commercial presence
competition · growth · flexibility · adaptability · creativity · dynamism · expansion · investment
red tape
Bureaucratic obstacles to action
- paperworkAdministrative written tasks
- officialdomCollective administrative authorities
- agenciesOrganizations providing services
departments · governmental · civil service · administrative · permits · licensing · authorizations · clearances · registrations · filings
stranglehold
Oppressive, unbreakable control
suppress · prohibit · clampdown · embargo · limitation · curtailment · constraint · ban · stricture · control
standards
Accepted levels of quality
- requirementsNecessary conditions for something
- guidelinesSuggested rules for behavior
- adherenceFaithful following of something
conformity · accreditation · certification · monitoring · auditing · enforcement · accountability · governance · legislation · policies
innovation
Creating something original
- entrepreneurshipCreating and managing ventures
- startupsNewly launched businesses
- small businessModest independent commercial venture
market entry · competition · growth · flexibility · adaptability · creativity · dynamism · expansion · investment · risk-taking
overregulatederegulate
Remove official controls
laissez-faire · leave alone · liberalize · free up · look the other way
overregulatelaissez-faire
Noninterference in commerce
free market · deregulation · libertarianism · neoliberalism · self-regulation
overregulation, overregulated, overregulates, overregulating, overregulations