An authoritative study of attempts to deregulate and roll back the state in Britain from 1979-1997. Compliance cost assessment was the new tool used by the UK government to evaluate the likely impact of legislative proposals on business. The authors analyze the system and, using case studies, evaluate its performance as a technique of economic appraisal and as a way of controlling civil servants. Comparisons are made with the European Fiche d'impact and the American regulatory impact analysis. Given the considerable importance of CCA, and the dearth of literature on it, the book makes a significant contribution to the understanding of public policy-making.