Regulatory brokerage: competitive advantage and regulation in the field of regenerative medicine

Sleeboom-Faulkner, Margaret (2019) Regulatory brokerage: competitive advantage and regulation in the field of regenerative medicine. Social Studies of Science, 49 (3). pp. 355-380. ISSN 0306-3127

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Abstract

This article concerns the roles of entrepreneurial scientists in the co-production of life science research and regulation. Regulatory brokerage, defined as a mode of strategic planning and as the negotiation of regulation based on comparative advantage and competition, is expressed in scientific activities that take advantage of regulatory difference. This article is based on social science research in Japan, Thailand, India and the UK. Using five cases related to Japan’s international activities in the field of regenerative medicine, I argue that, driven by competitive advantage, regulatory brokerage at lower levels of managerial organization and governance is emulated at higher levels. In addition, as regulatory brokerage affects the creation of regulation at national, bilateral and global levels, new regulation may be based on competition in regulatory advantage rather than on ethical and scientific values. I argue that regulatory brokerage as the basis for regulatory reform bypasses issues that need to be decided by a broader public. More space is needed for international and political debate about the socio-political consequences of the global diversity of regulation in the field of the life sciences.

Item Type: Article
Schools and Departments: School of Global Studies > Anthropology
Depositing User: Sharon Krummel
Date Deposited: 15 May 2019 12:49
Last Modified: 03 Jul 2019 13:15
URI: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/83770

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Project NameSussex Project NumberFunderFunder Ref
UnsetUnsetEuropean Research Council283219
Bionetworking in Asia - International collaboration, exchange, and responsible innovation in the life sciencesG0750ESRC-ECONOMIC & SOCIAL RESEARCH COUNCILES/I018107/1