Analysis of Learning in Regulatory Governance (ALREG)

1 September 2009 - 31 August 2013

PI/s in Exeter: Professor Claudio Radaelli

CI/s in Exeter: Professor Claire Dunlop

Funding awarded: £ 788,461

Sponsor(s): European Research Council

Project webpage(s)

Analysis of Learning in Regulatory Governance (ALREG)

About the research

This four-year interdisciplinary project addresses the question what has been learned through the use of better regulation? Better regulation is a flagship policy on the Lisbon agenda for growth and jobs. Its aims are to provide new governance architectures for law-making, to increase the competitiveness of the regulatory environment, and to secure wide social legitimacy for multi-level systems of rules. Whilst most of the research has looked at how better regulation is changing, this project will produce findings on what has changed because of better regulation.

Theoretically, the project will use (and significantly improve on) theories of policy learning. Empirically, it will cover Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, the UK and the EU including multi-level analysis and analysis by sector of regulation. Methodologically, the project will draw on comparative analysis of types of learning, experiments with regulatory policy-makers in six countries and the European Commission, large-n analysis of impact assessments, backward-mapping of legislation (to appraise the role played by better regulation in the formulation or laws in the UK and the EU), meta-analysis of case-studies and co-production of knowledge with better regulation officers.

Dissemination will target both stakeholders (i.e., policy officers, civil society organizations, and business federations) and academic conferences in political science, law, and risk analysis, with a major research monograph to be completed in year 4 and a final interdisciplinary conference.