Regulation and Governance
This cluster explores the changing nature, strategies and impacts of regulation and governance of business activity, public sector organizations and citizens in contemporary societies.
Understanding regulation and governance is at the heart of exploring intersections between law and society since contemporary regimes of regulation often draw on social norms and local forms of experimentalist self-governance in order to achieve their objectives.
How we regulate and what we govern for is not just determined by distinct, positive state law, but also shaped by political power struggles and new forms of social and economic ordering that develop in societies.
Members of this cluster have particular interests in the governance of natural resources including water, the regulation of utilities, ethical business regulation, property as regulation, regulation of medical work, as well as regulation of and through new technologies.
Work in this field also facilitates the co-production of regulatory strategies with regulators through the International Network for Delivery of Regulation, through collaborations with the Rivers Trust and through contributions to UK government consultations and roundtables, including those on Smarter Regulation.
Research associated with this cluster has sparked reflections on how binary distinctions between ‘nature’ and ‘society’ may be overcome in the governance of marine protection areas.
Another research theme addresses ways of conceptualizing evidence for innovative technologies for climate governance, such as carbon capture, use and storage.
This cluster is currently being supported by grants from the UK Natural Environment Research Council, the British Academy, and the Oxford University John Fell Fund. This cluster is led by Bettina Lange.
