Uncertainty, knowledge, and regulation

The challenge of uncertainty

Governing in the face of uncertainty brought on in part by the rise of populism and post-truth “knowns” and “unknowns” presents considerable challenges to policymakers and private actors everywhere. A diverse set of regulatory, but also social, mechanisms is developing to effectively address these challenges, which are increasingly interconnected. As the need and nature of information changes, so our processes for sharing information change. However, this is not always possible in light of existing governance regimes.

What can we do about it?

We contribute to two elements this governance challenge: first, we conceptualize uncertainty and its effect on governance processes, and second, we examine how knowledge is created and distributed in response to these uncertainties and third, we examine the impact of this knowledge in furthering a sustainability agenda. In doing so we seek to advance theories on uncertainty and wicked problems, small wins, informational governance and knowledge co-production.