REGULATION OF INNOVATION & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 2023/2024

This course introduces students to the world of regulation in particular from the perspective of digital innovation, race and gender, and sustainability. This course aims to help students understand why regulation is necessary, how risk assessments are used to decide whether to regulate and how, and how regulation can support both public and private innovation while taking into account sustainability concerns. This course devotes particular attention to innovation and sustainability in the infrastructures sectors, e.g. Internet, energy, water.


Course goals:

At the end of this course, students should be able to:

a) Provide an overview of the key traditional and modern regulatory techniques and explain their strengths and weaknesses;
b) Explain the different types of regulatory decision- making methodologies;

c) Distinguish between the different available regulatory instruments and apply this knowledge to different sectorial needs;

d) Explain and provide criticism to the different roles of regulators in the advancement of innovation;
e) Identify different public and private law-based regulatory instruments and explain their strengths and weaknesses in regulating new technologies;
f) Explain the value and goals of regulatory decision- making methodologies (cost-benefit analysis, regulatory impact assessment, consultations);
g) Discuss the relationship between race, gender, and regulation
h) Explain how public and private enforcement mechanisms interplay with each other, particularly in the fields of environmental and energy law.
i) Discuss the interplay between national and global regulators in the regulation of risk, innovation, and sustainability;