ABSTRACT
The concepts of risk and governance have become inextricably intertwined over the past decade in ways hitherto unseen. This has led to some claims that we are witnessing a widespread change, claims derived in part from sociological theories which contend that among the characteristics which distinguish modern societies as modern is a focus on risk and also on new forms of governance such as regulation. This chapter explores some different visualizations of the relationship between risk and regulatory governance in modern societies and then consider some of the changes which have occurred over the past decade. It recognizes that the theories leading these discussions are very much focused on Western societies. The chapter ends with a discussion of research from Asian societies may well offer fascinating insights and maybe challenges to these theories and trends. Research data are needed on a variety of topics including information about risk templates are used in regulation and more general public sector governance.
