New Governance, Preemptive Self-Regulation, and the Blurring of Boundaries in Regulatory Theory and Practice

36 Pages Posted: 11 Feb 2011

Date Written: July 20, 2010

Abstract

In the literature on “new governance” forms of regulation, the blurring of traditional boundaries is a pervasive but largely implicit theme. This Article makes this theme explicit, and argues that the capacity to blur boundaries is one of new governance’s signature strengths. New governance regulation frequently blurs the roles of regulatory actors, the stages of regulation, the modes of regulation, the functions of a regulatory regime; and the structure of the regulatory regime. The Article applies this lens to a series of case studies, and demonstrates how industry attempts at preemptive self-regulation have created opportunities where new governance forms of regulation could have emerged. Turning prescriptive, this Article calls attention to the political and strategic dynamics around attempts to regulate new domains, and calls on policymakers and scholars to embrace the blurred boundaries of new governance approaches as a possible approach that combines the best of state-centered and self-regulatory forms of governance.

Keywords: Regulation, Regulatory Theory, Administrative Law, Self-Regulation, New Governance

Suggested Citation

Solomon, Jason M., New Governance, Preemptive Self-Regulation, and the Blurring of Boundaries in Regulatory Theory and Practice (July 20, 2010). Wisconsin Law Review, p. 591, 2010, William & Mary Law School Research Paper No. 09-69, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1758746

Jason M. Solomon (Contact Author)

Stanford Law School ( email )

559 Nathan Abbott Way
Stanford, CA 94305-8610
United States
650-736-6080 (Phone)

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