Democratic Challenges of Regulatory Governance

Abstract

Regulatory governance has always faced challenges of accountability and legitimacy within democratic contexts; however, these tensions have become increasingly acute in recent years. Traditionally, its legitimacy has rested on expertise-driven authority and its effectiveness in delivering societal benefits—for instance, ensuring product safety and reassuring markets and investors through ‘credible commitment’. Yet, growing dissatisfaction with the outputs and outcomes of regulatory governance has begun to challenge the very raison d’être of this model. Meanwhile, regulators are increasingly engaging directly with citizens while also adopting generative AI and algorithmic tools for governance. These shifting dynamics demand a renewed focus on the democratic challenges facing regulatory governance, which this panel seeks to explore.

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