Includes bibliographical references and index.

Regulating biotechnology : lessons from environmental policy / Neil Gunningham -- Rethinking regulatory governance for the age of biotechnology / Colin Scott -- Red lights and rogues : regulating human genetics / Roger Brownsword -- An abstract approach to the regulation of human genetics : law, morality and social policy / Justine Burley -- Constructing risks : GMOs, biosafety and environmental decision-making / Paul Street -- Legal framework and political strategy in dealing with the risks of new technology : the two faces of the precautionary principle / Wolfgang van den Daele -- Regulating GM food : three levels, three issues / Bernd van der Meulen -- Restrictions on the cultivation of genetically modified organisms : issues of EC law / Sara Poli -- A tale of two commons : plant genetic resources and agricultural trade reform / Mary E. Footer -- Should we regulate biotechnology through the patent system? : the case of terminator technology / Graham Dutfield -- Patents, patients, and consent : exploring the interface between regulation and innovation regimes / Graham Laurie -- Reshaping bio-patents : measures to restore trust in the patent system / Geertui van Overwalle.

This book will make a significant contribution to the debate surrounding the effective regulation of biotechnology. The contributing authors assess how regulatory regimes can accommodate the many different and often conflicting issues to which biotechnology is giving rise to (including a very tainted public image). The book's ultimate aim is to explore ways of designing a regulatory regime that takes heed of these different demands whilst, at the same time, answering to the imperatives of effectiveness and efficiency.