Proponents of regulations will argue that they extend the power of democratic institutions and can help protect workers and consumers as well as the enviroment. Opponents of regulations have historically claimed that regulations are harmfull to the national economy. They argue among other things that it leads to incresed unemployment domestically and decreased competitiveness abroad. These claims are hard to verify as it is nearly impossible to find a clear example of a cause and effect relationship. The economy is dynamic and complicated and regulations are but one of the myriad factors that impact its development. 

An article by economic policy institute found that fear of economic harm inflicted by regulations is generally overblown. "The multidimensional effects of regulations on employment are reflected in the mixed impacts found in the studies of economic regulation." (Isaac Shapiro, 2011). 

There are no known historical examples of economic harm where a consensus of historians and economists agree that the central cause was regulations. However, I can provide some historical examples of debt traps, nationalizations, privatizations, taxation policies and economic reforms that most economists agree harmed the economy.
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