Society, Regulation and Governance

'Modern society is shaped in ways that were scarcely thought of a few years ago - and debates on regulation and governance have much work to do if they are to come to grips with new modes and sources of influence such as the new media and transnational engagements. This book makes an incisive contribution to the re-configuring of those debates and will appeal to all who look for an invigorated understanding of regulation, governance and social change.' - Robert Baldwin, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK Society, Regulation and Governance critically appraises the issue of intentional social change through the lens of regulation and governance studies. A twofold understanding of regulation and governance underpins the conceptual and empirical engagement throughout the book. On the one hand, regulation and governance are understood to be innovatively minded. On the other hand the book argues that, at their respective cores, regulation and governance are continuously concerned with how intentional social change can be fostered and what results can be yielded in terms of shaping society. This book brings together sociologists, political scientists, legal scholars and historians to produce an interdisciplinary critical evaluation of alleged 'new modes' of social change, specifically: risk, publics and participation. It makes three key contributions by: offering a consolidation and re-appraisal of a debate that has become increasingly vague with its academic and political proliferation identifying a uniting conceptual-analytical core between regulation and governance which explains the adaptability and innovation-mindedness of processes of 'shaping society' re-focusing on the 'essence' of regulation and governance approaches - intentional modes of social change. Society, Regulation and Governance will give significant insight into the potential and limits of new methods of social change, suiting a wide range of social science and legal academics due to its collaborative nature. Contributors include: A.-L. Beaussier, A. Bora, E. Carmel, M. Huber, D. Kuchenbuch, M. Mlders, P. Mnte, R. Paul, H. Rothstein, J.-F. Schrape, L. Viellechner