Regulation in an economic system is the rules and the enforcement of rules that limit the economic actions of an organization. Governments are responsible for developing regulations, and government regulation is present to varying degrees in all economies. Regulations impact the economy by establishing fair pricing rules.
Economic regulations are regulations that place restrictions on what businesses and employees of businesses are allowed to do with regard to monetary and economic gain. Social regulations are rules that limit the actions of organizations in order to protect the public interest such as public health, public safety, or environmental impact. The advent of governmental regulations is based on the tragedy of the commons theory, which states that individuals who are acting primarily in their own self-interest could deplete a resource that is important to the larger population or society as a whole.