Governing through regulation: policy and politics; science and art

Regulation has come of age as a primary tool of governance. Governments are increasingly relying on regulation to address society's economic and social challenges. Yet the complexities of many of these challenges are such that government alone is rarely equipped to address them. There is a growing need to build coalitions of State and non-State actors. This makes regulation both a substantive policy reform and a political project. Understanding this duality - and the challenges it presents - is important. As policy reform, regulation is complex; as a political project it is contested and contentious. Its success is measured not only in terms of policy effectiveness and efficiency but also by reference to its politics.