Hybridity at the heart of contemporary risk governance: the example of the safety of the food chain in Belgium

Abstract

What are the changes and challenges facing the public regulator in a context of risk governance? Through the analytical prism developed by Jacques Chevallier, this article proposes to examine the changes in the role of the public regulator by focusing on the style of public policy and governance tools. In the light of the hybridity observed in the study of the system regulating the safety of the food chain in Belgium, the contribution focuses on a double source of instability reflecting the tensions at the heart of the public values structuring the regulation system. A deconstruction of this hybridity reveals the negotiated and conflicting nature of the values underlying the action of the public regulator and its evaluation. Notes for practitioners Based on an inventory of the situation at the heart of the system regulating the risks to the safety of the food chain in Belgium, the contribution identifies the challenges faced by the public regulator in the context of risk governance. Observing the hybrid nature of their involvement, it highlights two sources of tension related to their policy style and their use of regulatory instruments. By considering the possible stabilization measures that could be taken to overcome tensions, three approaches have been identified as a means of adjusting the role of the public regulator, stressing the transversal importance of the findings.