Standard Research: Global Governance and Science in Complex Regulatory Regimes

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OverviewThis STS research project is a study of policy and science; specifically, it will examine regulatory science in the governance arenas of biofuels and geo-engineering. Its primary goals are to produce generalizable knowledge about how science operates within complex (multi-level and multi-sector) regulatory frameworks for emerging technologies, and to conceptualize and evaluate the legitimacy of regulatory science within these evolving regimes. To obtain that knowledge, the PI will analyze legal documents (such as case law, litigation briefs, expert testimony, legislative history, and legal commentaries) and non-legal documents (including reports, media accounts, industry lobbying documents, and press releases). He will also conduct a series of semi-structured interviews with key actors involved in national and international policy related to sustainable biofuels and geo-engineering.Intellectual Merit The results of this project will enrich existing accounts of the role of expertise in global governance and produce policy relevant ideas in the arenas of biofuels and geo-engineering. Global governance has largely moved away from international treaty structures to complex (pluralist and fragmented) treaty structures. In the complex context, regulatory science and diverse forms of technical reasoning move across levels of government, and they span the private and public sectors. Understanding what ideals of democratic governance mean in such contexts requires sharper theoretical tools, which the PI plans to develop by synthesizing intellectual approaches from STS and law; the resulting hybrid approach will facilitate a deeper understanding of the interrelated dimensions of legal jurisdiction, scientific authority, and democratic governance.Broader ImpactsThis project will serve to address an urgent need for good public policy on the governance of biofuels and geo-engineering by providing tangible ideas for improving the legitimacy of administrative process. It also promises to provide a more systematic understanding of science and democracy, which is expected to advance relevant academic fields; and it will provide useful resources for policymakers, including a deeper analytic and practical toolkit. Finally, the project will build human capital and infrastructure by training graduate students and a postdoctoral fellow, and strengthening academic and policy networks across nations.