The realities of regulatory change : Beyond the fetish of deregulation

The article argues that any discussion of regulatory change should be sensitive to the manner in which regulation was originally constructed and developed. Any change can only be understood by a mapping of the complex interrelation of spaces, spheres and actors of regulation. The act of regulatory change requires shifts and re-alignments across a wide range of fronts. This is because regulation involves alliances and linkages across a range of spaces and actors, contingent upon the peculiarities and limits of different states and their respective civil societies.The manner in which regulatory change may be prosecuted also belies any notion of unproblematic transfer of responsibilities between actors. Copyright © 2005 BSA Publications Ltd®