Who Needs Regulations? Daily Brief December 20, 2023

There’s a peculiar type of libertarian loudmouth on social media. You’ve surely seen at least one at some point, railing against regulations as the source of all anti-entrepreneurial evil and economic woe.

Next time you encounter one online, send them this short article by my colleague, Sarah Sanbar.

In it, she looks at a number of tragedies in Iraq – a fire in a wedding hall that killed 122, two hospital fires that together killed 174, a ferry sinking that killed 128, and others – and she finds a common theme in all of them. They all stem from a failure to enforce regulations.

Investigations into the fires found local authorities were negligent in their duty to uphold safety regulations and conduct inspections. Contractors used cheap, highly flammable construction materials to cut costs. Fire escapes, sprinkler systems, and evacuation plans were absent or insufficient. And corruption helped allow violators get away with ignoring the rule.

Authorities recorded nearly 40,000 fires across Iraq in 2022. The two leading causes were voltage fluctuations and defective wires, often because contractors cut corners in violation of building codes.

In the ferry sinking, river police had warned the current was too swift that day, in fact twice the highest limit for safe operation. And the ferry with a maximum capacity of 80 was carrying 287 people.

In January, a building under construction collapsed, killing three and injuring nine. The Iraqi Civil Defense Directorate then warned that more than 2,500 buildings across Iraq are on the verge of collapse. They blamed authorities greenlighting sub-standard buildings.

It’s all well and good to imprison, fire, and fine those whose negligence was found to be responsible for these kinds of tragedies. Indeed, the Iraqi authorities have done so in many cases.

But it’s just as important – if not more important – to prevent such things in the first place. Like every country, Iraq has regulations on fire safety, construction standards, and reliable transport. But they only save lives if enforced and obeyed.

And for those on social media and elsewhere who think having and following regulations are too costly, ask them if they are really willing to pay the price of ignoring them?