Regulatory Governance

Abstract

The European Union is now conventionally described as a regulatory state par excellence (Knill and Lenshow 2004: 218; Majone 1994a; McGowan and Wallace 1996; Loughlin and Scott 1997; Lodge 2001; Laegreid et al. 2005). While there are some doubts as to the appropriateness and usefulness of characterizing the European Union as a “state”, there is no doubt that the intersection of regulation and Europeanization creates one of the most intriguing political spaces of our era. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that scholars of European politics and policy are increasingly interested in regulatory change across such diverse areas as telecommunications, competition, finance, health, environment, food, equal opportunities, minority rights and labor standards. Accordingly, there is also strong and increasing interest in issues of regulatory design and in the growth in the number of regulatory agencies and probably also in the scope of their authority.