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Annual NILG conference 2017: Law & Governance Taking a Technocratic Turn?

When:Fr 01-12-2017 10:00 - 18:30
Where:West-Indisch Huis, Herenmarkt 99, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

The Future of Law & Technocratic Regulation by Standardisation, Certification, Accreditation & Normalisation (‘SCAN’)

NILG

Globalisation, privatisation and technological advancement have given rise to a regulatory approach featuring technocratic regulation. Standardisation, Certification, Accreditation & Normalisation (henceforth ‘SCAN’) signify this trend, originating particularly in the functional areas of law, such as product-safety, food, energy, construction, air traffic, health and ICT. Meanwhile, codifications and general principles of private and public law are increasingly being eclipsed or even ‘hollowed-out’ by a fragmented landscape of technocratic-functional regulation. While the appeal of technocratic regulation lies mainly in effectiveness & efficiency, its universalist, post-political character has given rise to concerns about legitimacy, particularly on procedural and substantive justice. The conference is organized around a combination of three leading questions:

  • How does the ‘technocratic turn’ in regulation, particularly through SCAN-instruments, play out in governance; do we have proper evidence of this technocratic turn?
  • What role does law currently play and should law play in future to balance SCAN’s benefits & opportunities with its burdens & threats?
  • What does the ‘technocratic turn’ mean for the related law and governance scholarship?

Further information, the conference programme, and registration is available on the NILG website.