This book argues that law, regulation, and technology can be understood as particular kinds of governance projects, and their credentials assessed according to an overarching concept of good governance.

The book introduces the ideas of ‘governance by law’ and ‘governance by regulation’ as particular types of projects within a constellation of governance projects–some normative, some non-normative, and some hybrid. As such, legal and regulatory projects can be differentiated from each other as well as from other normative governance projects, such as ethics. They can also be contrasted with various kinds of non-normative technological projects, and more importantly, they can be compared with governance projects that are hybrids, such as rule-and-tool projects. Based on this account of governance, the limitations and imperfections of legal and regulatory governance–relative to an overarching concept of good governance–become readily apparent. Focusing on governance projects, governance problems, and governance prospects, the book thereby offers an insightful and original analysis of the current–and future–intersection of law, technology and governance.

This book will be of interest to legal researchers and postgraduates in the burgeoning field of law, regulation, and technology, as well as others with more general interests in issues of law and governance.

Roger Brownsword is Professor of Law at Kings College, London, and at Bournemouth University.