Trends in international regulatory co-operation

This chapter is a unique attempt to synthesise the knowledge and evidence available to date on the various mechanisms used by governments to promote regulatory co-operation. It first identifies 11 IRC mechanisms and provides evidence on the frequency of their use by governments. It then reviews the trends in IRC over the past decades. The review of evidence confirms the increased internationalisation of regulation, which takes place through a wide variety of mechanisms and multiple actors. It highlights a shift in the nature of IRC from complete “harmonisation” of regulation to more flexible options – such as mutual recognition agreements.