Affect in Regulatory Governance and Policymaking

Abstract

This panel explores the growing importance of emotions in regulatory governance and policymaking. While regulatory systems are often portrayed as highly technical, evidence-driven, and procedurally neutral, a growing body of research shows that emotions, whether expressed by policymakers, regulators, stakeholders, or citizens, play a critical role in shaping how regulatory decisions are made, communicated, contested, and experienced. The panel therefore seeks to advance an emerging interdisciplinary conversation that brings affective dynamics to the centre of the study of regulatory governance. Contributions within this panel examine how emotions influence the processes of regulatory politics and policymaking, including risk identification, agenda-setting, rule design, consultation practices, and regulatory responses. Emotional cues, narratives, and framings (whether originating from regulators, political actors, interest groups, or affected communities) can shape how problems are defined, prioritized, and addressed. Emotions may also motivate regulatory attention, alter perceptions of risk, and catalyse policy change. The panel further investigates how emotions shape the outputs and outcomes of regulatory processes. This includes the emotional dimensions of rulemaking, enforcement, and regulatory communication, as well as their effects on public perceptions of legitimacy, reputation, trust, and compliance. As regulators increasingly communicate directly with the public (e.g., through digital platforms, campaigns, open consultations, and crisis messaging) the affective qualities of these interactions play an important role in shaping how regulatory authority is understood and accepted. A central concern of the panel is also how citizens receive, interpret, and respond to regulatory politics and policies. Citizens’ emotional reactions (such as anxiety, anger, fear, or empathy) can influence their understanding of regulatory rules, their behavioural responses, and their broader attitudes toward regulatory institutions. These dynamics matter not only for rule compliance, but also for perceptions of regulator legitimacy and the quality of democratic policymaking. Finally, the panel highlights the emotional dimensions embedded in everyday interactions between regulators, stakeholders, and the public. These interactions (ranging from stakeholder consultations to service encounters) offer a rich terrain for understanding how affect circulates within regulatory governance and policymaking stages and shapes governance practices on the ground. This panel brings together theoretical, methodological, and empirical perspectives from across political science, public administration, behavioural science, psychology, communication, sociology, and related fields, offering an interdisciplinary space to advance the study of affect in regulatory governance and policymaking.

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