Meta-Regulation in the Health Profession

Economic regulation consists of government's interference within the area of economic activities to protect the public interest in the face of potential risk. In the case of professional self-regulation, the state authorities delegate their authority to the professional of a given field via rectifying statute laws. In the UK, USA, and Australia, this was happening in such organizations, in the private sector, and under the support of governments. But because of criminal cases and scandals in the medical sector, professional self-regulation of the health sector became a subject of criticism. Consequently, governments started to steer clear of self-regulation and commenced reforms that led to meta-regulation in health-related professions. This paper will focus on theories of private and public interest, Tripartism, to explore the role of meta-regulation institutes and governments in professional self-regulation. We start by exploring the theories of self-regulation and then scrutinize the reforms in models of self-regulation in the UK, Australia, and Canada. This may provide a basis for serious consideration of the role of such organizations, especially as the state of covid-19 pandemic causes a serious need for consistent policymaking in the health sector in Iran