Public Administration vocabulary · Policy and Regulation
Enforcement
Meaning in public administration, with examples
/ɪnˈfɔːsmənt/nounCommon term
In public administration, enforcement means: The work of making sure that laws and rules are obeyed, through inspections, warnings, fines, orders or legal action.
In Turkish: uygulama, yaptırım uygulaması, icra
How it is used
Agencies take enforcement action, carry out enforcement and have enforcement powers. Weak enforcement means rules exist but are not applied. The verb is enforce: enforce the rules, enforce a ban. Law enforcement usually means the police.
Example sentences
The agency took enforcement action against twelve companies for false labelling.
Better enforcement of existing rules may work better than writing new ones.
Common collocations
enforcement action
enforcement powers
law enforcement
strict enforcement
weak enforcement
Related terms
regulationAn official rule made by a government body, usually under the authority of a law; also the general activity of controlling an industry or activity through such rules.
complianceThe state of following the rules, laws, standards or conditions that apply to an organization or activity, and the work of checking that this happens.
inspectionAn official visit or examination to check that a place, organization, product or activity meets the required rules and standards.
regulatorA public body that sets rules for a particular sector, such as energy, banking or telecommunications, and checks that companies follow them.
