Can you name situations where government regulations/policies have spawned innovations/positive developments in the industry?

What class is this for?

it is not for any class at all

Airlines
Alcohol consumption
A potential soda tax
Smoking regulations
Public transit
Interference with bottled water companies

In our town, houses that meat certain energy conservation guidelines get a lower per kilowatt electric price from the main electric company. Also, in our state, houses that meet wind storm guidelines get hurricane insurance coverage.

Don’t forget whenever the feds set mandatory regulatory guidelines businesses have to go along. That includes ADA guidelines that make a lot of businesses and public buildings accessible to folks in wheelchairs when they never were before. I particularly like the air-powered elevator than can be installed in an existing building without having to put in a full elevator shaft, and various hands-free devices in bathrooms.

I don’t really understand the point of this question. There are probably thousands of government policies or actions that have cause changes in industry. The NSF alone probably is responsible for many thousands of patents. The agriculture department; energy, military, NASA, and on and on, are all responsible directly or indirectly for many innovations.

“Positive” is a very subjective word when speaking of government actions. What is positive to some, is negative to others. Everything any government has ever done has been positive to someone.

Many of their policies and interventions have had an enormous effect on increasing the employment prospects for lawyers and lobbyists, and the exponential growth of their egos.

@ubersiren Excellent point!