Regulation, governance and complexity : Review of recent literature in regulation : regulation, governance and complexity

This RGI Brief reviews recent literature in regulatory studies. Two key trends have emerged through this review. First, there are increasing calls for interdisciplinarity in the treatment, analysis and practice of regulation. And second, there is a crisis of confidence and a dramatic need to rethink dominant paradigms. Both of these issues are shaped by the use of a wider array of regulatory tools, devolved governance (e.g., self regulation and the increasing use of agencies) and the increasing complexity and interconnectedness of policy fields--be these driven by environmental, social or economic factors. This literature review examines works with quite different aims--e.g., describing regulatory practice; case studies of regulatory failure; comparative historical and institutionalist works; theoretical and analytical frameworks and; empirical studies. Despite diverse treatment, common themes emerge.