In recent decades, the diffusion of regulatory capitalism has become a central issue in political and social sciences. This dissemination across the globe is materialized in the spread of independent regulatory agencies worldwide. These have been adopted by a large number of states in order to implement regulatory policies in a large number of sectors.
If, before the 1980s, regulatory agencies around the world were limited to a few sectors –especially the financial sphere– and some countries, like the USA, the great spread that has occurred in recent years has taken this model to a large number of countries, and to sectors where the aim of regulation is controlling human, social and environmental risks, beyond simply supervising markets. One example is the regulation of higher education, which has seen an exceptional proliferation of quality assurance agencies in the last decades. Not only that, in recent decades, agencies have also taken part in the response to crises of different magnitude and across geographical and policy boundaries. Whether it is the financial crisis, floods, oil spills, horse meat and other food scandals, let alone geopolitical tensions, agencies have been noted for offering technical and specialised guidance that contribute to the governance of these threats.
These agencies are particularly characterized by their organizational identity, separated from the classic administrative structures, as well as by their specialization in monitoring, supervising and promoting regulation. This separation from state bureaucracies has questioned the democratic legitimacy of these institutions, which has prompted an intense debate over their potential for political accountability and transparency.
The GlobalReg research group aims to study these processes and their impact in the transformation of the state in comparative perspective. The emergence and expansion of the so-called “regulatory state” across the globe calls for an interdisciplinary approach to capture the nuances and complexities of this process of diffusion. Therefore, the GlobalReg research group is formed by an international team of researchers in the area of comparative politics and international political economy to promote such interdisciplinarity.
Since 2009, the GlobalReg research group has obtained funds from various sources, including the European Commission, the Government of Spain and Generalitat of Catalonia.
If, before the 1980s, regulatory agencies around the world were limited to a few sectors –especially the financial sphere– and some countries, like the USA, the great spread that has occurred in recent years has taken this model to a large number of countries, and to sectors where the aim of regulation is controlling human, social and environmental risks, beyond simply supervising markets. One example is the regulation of higher education, which has seen an exceptional proliferation of quality assurance agencies in the last decades. Not only that, in recent decades, agencies have also taken part in the response to crises of different magnitude and across geographical and policy boundaries. Whether it is the financial crisis, floods, oil spills, horse meat and other food scandals, let alone geopolitical tensions, agencies have been noted for offering technical and specialised guidance that contribute to the governance of these threats.
These agencies are particularly characterized by their organizational identity, separated from the classic administrative structures, as well as by their specialization in monitoring, supervising and promoting regulation. This separation from state bureaucracies has questioned the democratic legitimacy of these institutions, which has prompted an intense debate over their potential for political accountability and transparency.
The GlobalReg research group aims to study these processes and their impact in the transformation of the state in comparative perspective. The emergence and expansion of the so-called “regulatory state” across the globe calls for an interdisciplinary approach to capture the nuances and complexities of this process of diffusion. Therefore, the GlobalReg research group is formed by an international team of researchers in the area of comparative politics and international political economy to promote such interdisciplinarity.
Since 2009, the GlobalReg research group has obtained funds from various sources, including the European Commission, the Government of Spain and Generalitat of Catalonia.
