regulatief

Regulatief is an adjective used in Dutch to describe something related to regulation or intended to regulate. It denotes mechanisms, rules, standards, or processes that govern or moderate a system, activity, or behavior. The term is formed from regel (rule) and the suffix -atief, and is closely aligned with the English term regulative or regulatory.

In public policy, law and administration, regulatief describes instruments and frameworks designed to influence compliance and outcomes. This can include regulatory standards, licensing schemes, supervisory procedures, and enforcement approaches. In organizational contexts, regulatieve measures aim to shape performance, risk management, and governance, often through rules, benchmarks, and monitoring.

In philosophy and scientific discourse, regulatief can refer to principles or guidelines that structure the use of reason or inquiry rather than to facts themselves. For example, regulatieve principes may guide methodological choices or the interpretation of evidence, serving as normative frameworks that aid rational analysis without constituting empirical claims.

Regulatief is often contrasted with terms like regulerend (regulating) and regulatorisch (regulatory), with regulatief emphasizing the normative or governance aspect of regulation. Common collocations include regulatief kader (regulatory framework), regulatieve normen (regulatory norms), and regulatieve maatregelen (regulatory measures).

See also: regelgeving, regulering, regulatorisch, regulerend.