Understanding purposes of regulation: a case example in mental health

This paper reviews the purposes of governmental regulation and how an exploration of purpose can contribute to our understanding of specific regulations. The primary regulatory purpose is defined as the achievement of quality control of a subject system, its process or its product. Quality control via regulation is achieved through one or a combination of approaches: (1) accountability, (2) organizational development, (3) protectionism. Regulatory purpose and approach is illustrated by a case example of the development of regulations for partial hospitalization mental health services.