Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosphy (PhD) / This research applies Bourdieu’s theorising of habitus and cultural capital to understand how class mediates young people’s reflexivity and perceptions of risk. It engages with the theories of reflexive modernity, primarily with the work of Beck and Giddens, who both describe recent processes of individualization, detraditionalization and the increasing importance of the concept of risk. The study seeks to critically engage with Bourdieu’s project, reworking some of his key theoretical ideas such as the possibility of ‘reflexivity’ itself being a new form of embodied cultural capital. It also engages with works that see discourses of risk as central to neo-liberal governmentality. The research entails 380 surveys and nine focus groups at three distinct secondary schools in a large regional Australian city – a public high school in an outer suburb low socio-economic area of the city which offers a specialist sports program; an inner suburb academically-selective public high school where pupils gain an offer of enrolment only through rigorous academic testing; and an expensive private college in the middle of the central business district. Year Eleven and Twelve students (16-18 years) at the three schools were asked about their ambitions; the obstacles they think may stand in the way of achieving their ambitions; and about their perceptions and experiences of inequality and risk. The risks discussed include the problems involved in the day-to-day life of young people as well as their engagement with larger risk discourses about technology and the environment. The data highlights how inequality is experienced or denied by some, and analysed from a distance by others. Reflexivity is present regardless of class position, but is expressed in a variety of ways. There are clear and subtle distinctions in engagement with micro and macro level risks. Overall, the data highlights how class continues to shape practice, perceptions and emotions.

Orientador: Ana Lúcia de Castro / Banca: Maria da Graça Jacinto Setton / Banca: Renata Medeiros Paollielo / Resumo: Este trabalho tem como objetivo central contribuir para a compreensão dos impactos, limites e alcances de duas importantes instâncias socializadoras - a mídia e a escola - na vida social de jovens contemporâneos. Considerando-se que mídia e escola configuramse como fortes produtoras de atividades simbólicas, busca-se discutir suas distintas dinâmicas e temporalidades, a partir do ponto de vista dos jovens entrevistados, dos usos e sentidos por eles atribuídos a cada uma dessas instâncias. Partindo do pressuposto de que estes usos e sentidos estão diretamente relacionados ao lugar social dos jovens, e, por conseqüência, aos seus respectivos habitus, metodologicamente a pesquisa estruturou-se em trabalho de campo, contemplando observação do ambiente escolar e entrevistas com alunos e professores em três escolas situadas na cidade de Araraquara, configurando-se dois universos sócio-culturais bem diferenciados, ou duas modalidades de juventude, compartilhadoras de diferentes códigos culturais e detentoras de diferentes competências: uma freqüentadora de escola particular (oriundos do Colégio Neruda e do Colégio Progresso) e outra freqüentadora da Escola Pública (E.E. Victor Lacorte). Para tanto, ao lado das contribuições teóricas de Pierre Bourdieu (sobretudo com os conceitos de habitus, estilos de vida e capital simbólico), recorre-se ao arcabouço teórico desenvolvido por Anthony Giddens, lançando mão, principalmente, da noção de reflexividade e do conceito de dualidade da estrutura para a análise dos diferentes processos de construção de identidades, bem como da diversidade de usos e sentidos atribuídos aos conteúdos propiciados pela escola e pela mídia (televisão e internet) por parte dos dois grupos de jovens investigados. O trabalho de campo tem como finalidade a análise do momento de modernidade reflexiva... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: This work is mainly aimed to contribute to the understanding of the impacts, limits and ranges of two socialized instances - the media and school - in the social life of contemporary youth. Considering that the media and school appear as strong producers of symbolic activities, we seek to discuss their different dynamics and temporalities, from the viewpoint of young interviewed, the uses and meanings they attributed to each of these instances. Assuming that these uses and meanings are directly related to the social position of young people and, consequently, their respective habitus, methodological research is structured in field work, covering the school environment observation and interviews with students and teachers in three schools located in the city of Araraquara, setting up two worlds and different socio-cultural, or two forms of youth, sharing different cultural codes and holding different skills: one who frequents a private school (from Progresso high school and Neruda high school) and someone else who frequents the Public School (Victor Lacorte Public school). To do so, alongside the theoretical contributions of Pierre Bourdieu (mainly with the concept of habitus, lifestyles and field), it resorts to the theoretical framework developed by Anthony Giddens, relying mainly on the notion of reflexivity and the notion of duality of structure for the analysis of the different processes of identity construction, as well as the variety of uses and meanings attributed to the content propitiated by the school and the media (television and Internet) by the two groups of young people surveyed. The field work aims to analyze the moment of reflexive modernity, which has its overthrows, its discontinuities produced by the media and also at the same time maintaining the traditions and processes with residual strength of sense, supported at times by school, family and religion / Mestre

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:29:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-02-24Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:18:20Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_ap_me_arafcl.pdf: 564166 bytes, checksum: e93c0ccbc086706327a381f5f691aec3 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Este trabalho tem como objetivo central contribuir para a compreensão dos impactos, limites e alcances de duas importantes instâncias socializadoras - a mídia e a escola – na vida social de jovens contemporâneos. Considerando-se que mídia e escola configuramse como fortes produtoras de atividades simbólicas, busca-se discutir suas distintas dinâmicas e temporalidades, a partir do ponto de vista dos jovens entrevistados, dos usos e sentidos por eles atribuídos a cada uma dessas instâncias. Partindo do pressuposto de que estes usos e sentidos estão diretamente relacionados ao lugar social dos jovens, e, por conseqüência, aos seus respectivos habitus, metodologicamente a pesquisa estruturou-se em trabalho de campo, contemplando observação do ambiente escolar e entrevistas com alunos e professores em três escolas situadas na cidade de Araraquara, configurando-se dois universos sócio-culturais bem diferenciados, ou duas modalidades de juventude, compartilhadoras de diferentes códigos culturais e detentoras de diferentes competências: uma freqüentadora de escola particular (oriundos do Colégio Neruda e do Colégio Progresso) e outra freqüentadora da Escola Pública (E.E. Victor Lacorte). Para tanto, ao lado das contribuições teóricas de Pierre Bourdieu (sobretudo com os conceitos de habitus, estilos de vida e capital simbólico), recorre-se ao arcabouço teórico desenvolvido por Anthony Giddens, lançando mão, principalmente, da noção de reflexividade e do conceito de dualidade da estrutura para a análise dos diferentes processos de construção de identidades, bem como da diversidade de usos e sentidos atribuídos aos conteúdos propiciados pela escola e pela mídia (televisão e internet) por parte dos dois grupos de jovens investigados. O trabalho de campo tem como finalidade a análise do momento de modernidade reflexiva... / This work is mainly aimed to contribute to the understanding of the impacts, limits and ranges of two socialized instances - the media and school – in the social life of contemporary youth. Considering that the media and school appear as strong producers of symbolic activities, we seek to discuss their different dynamics and temporalities, from the viewpoint of young interviewed, the uses and meanings they attributed to each of these instances. Assuming that these uses and meanings are directly related to the social position of young people and, consequently, their respective habitus, methodological research is structured in field work, covering the school environment observation and interviews with students and teachers in three schools located in the city of Araraquara, setting up two worlds and different socio-cultural, or two forms of youth, sharing different cultural codes and holding different skills: one who frequents a private school (from Progresso high school and Neruda high school) and someone else who frequents the Public School (Victor Lacorte Public school). To do so, alongside the theoretical contributions of Pierre Bourdieu (mainly with the concept of habitus, lifestyles and field), it resorts to the theoretical framework developed by Anthony Giddens, relying mainly on the notion of reflexivity and the notion of duality of structure for the analysis of the different processes of identity construction, as well as the variety of uses and meanings attributed to the content propitiated by the school and the media (television and Internet) by the two groups of young people surveyed. The field work aims to analyze the moment of reflexive modernity, which has its overthrows, its discontinuities produced by the media and also at the same time maintaining the traditions and processes with residual strength of sense, supported at times by school, family and religion

A presente dissertação analisa o papel da Justiça Restaurativa na atualidade, tratando de situar o seu lugar no debate sociológico, inaugurado por Ferdinand Tönnies, que identifica na comunidade e na sociedade duas formas de sociabilidade distintas. A hipótese de que partimos é a de que, a despeito de ser celebrada como uma panacéia para os males do sistema de justiça criminal tradicional, a Justiça Restaurativa, por evocar um ideal de comunidade de difícil materialização nos dias de hoje, talvez não seja apropriada no contexto das sociedades modernas. Para verificá-la, empreendemos uma revisão da literatura que examina as características e as conseqüências sociais do processo de modernização, com foco nas obras de Anthony Giddens e Zygmunt Bauman. A partir delas, oferecemos um diagnóstico que retrata como a transição de uma modernidade simples para uma modernidade reflexiva acirrou, nas últimas décadas, a sensação de insegurança e transformou o ideal comunitário, que anima a Justiça Restaurativa, em um refúgio para a inconstância da vida moderna. A seguir, descrevemos o desenvolvimento teórico e prático da Justiça Restaurativa e, com o fim de verificar nossa hipótese empiricamente, realizamos um estudo de caso, examinando em profundidade dois conflitos encaminhados ao Programa-Piloto de Justiça Restaurativa dos Juizados Especiais Criminais do Núcleo Bandeirante, localizado nos arredores de Brasília, no Distrito Federal. Concluímos, enfim, que a Justiça Restaurativa, por mobilizar emoções íntimas, funciona bem quando aplicada a conflitos penais protagonizados por pessoas próximas, vinculadas por laços de tipo comunitário. No entanto, quando se trata de conflitos envolvendo estranhos, típicos da modernidade, a estratégia restaurativa tende a ser mal-sucedida. Portanto, do mesmo modo que, no presente, a comunidade é incapaz de substituir a sociedade, uma Justiça Restaurativa atrelada a ideais comunitários não será capaz de alterar significativamente o esquema de funcionamento de um sistema de justiça criminal criado de acordo com as particularidades das sociedades modernas. / This dissertation analyzes the role of Restorative Justice in the present, attempting to place it in the sociological debate launched by Ferdinand Tönnies, who identifies in community and society two different forms of sociability. The hypothesis from which we depart is that, although celebrated as a panacea to the problems of the traditional criminal justice system, perhaps Restorative Justice is not appropriate under the context of modern societies, since it evokes an ideal of community that could hardly be materialized nowadays. In order to verify this hypothesis, we undertake a review of the literature that examines the characteristics and the social consequences of the modernization process, focusing on the works of Anthony Giddens and Zygmunt Bauman. Based upon such accounts, we offer a diagnosis that depicts how the transition from a simple modernity toward a reflexive modernity intensified, in the last decades, the perception of insecurity and transformed the communitarian ideal, which underpins Restorative Justice, into a shelter from the inconstancy of modern life. Then, we describe the theoretical and practical development of Restorative Justice and, in order to empirically verify our hypothesis, we conduct a case study, perusing two conflicts submitted to the Pilot Program of Restorative Justice promoted by the Minor Offences Court of Núcleo Bandeirante, located in the surroundings of Brasilia, in the Federal District. Finally, we conclude that, for mobilizing intimate emotions, Restorative Justice works well when applied to criminal conflicts whose protagonists are closely-related persons, linked by communitarian bounds. However, when it comes to conflicts involving strangers, typical of modernity, the restorative strategy is likely to fail. Therefore, in the same way that community is unable to replace society in the present, a Restorative Justice dependent on communitarian ideals will not be capable of significantly altering the performance of a criminal justice system created according to the particularities of modern societies.

The process of environmental degradation is increasing, amazingly, and its effects are felt, everyday, in social and work spaces. However, few measures are taken to rein this process. We live in a "Risk Society", where environmental risks are part of human daily life, although these risks are not thought or reflected, but only confronted by individuals supposedly protected by protective cocoons, which are based on continuity of institutionalized routines, in the sense of ontological security and in the elements characteristic of High Modernity. However, when strategies for environmental education are offered to the individuals, becomes feasible for them to reflect about their behavior and be motivated to change. In this context, the objective of this research was to describe as it is developed the environmental education in a hospital, from the individuals directly involved in its planning and formal executing . Methodologically, we adopted a qualitative approach, using the research method of case study, and as collection procedures we use documentary research and semi-structured interview. The study was developed in one hospital of the Grupo Hospitalar Conceição and had as research subject the individuals who joined the Center for Environmental Education of this hospital and other people indicated by them. In this process, based on Content Analysis, we built five thematic axis. The first axis discusses the concepts of the research subjects about environment and environmental education, composing six categories of analysis. The second axis reflects about the experiences of the Hospital Conceição in environmental education, comprising four categories. The third axis describe the consequences of environmental education actions in the context of High Modernity, composing two categories of analysis. The fourth axis refers to discussion about difficulties and challenges of environmental education within the healthcare institution, covering six categories. And finally, the fifth axis of this research shows a possible way to develop environmental education in a hospital. At the end of this study it was concluded that the actions of environmental education in this institution are isolated, fragmented and limited to practices by individuals or groups interested in this theme; therefore it is necessary: an environmental institutional policy that works as a financial, legal, structural and human support to develop environmental actions; a group entirely focused on the discussion and elaboration of environmental activities in the hospital; and, furthermore, it is very important the involvement of managers with environmental cause. Despite these challenges, environmental education developed at the institution represents a small, but important step towards the construction of a complex environmental knowledge necessary in a context of Reflexive Modernity. / O processo de degradação ambiental cresce, assombrosamente, e seus reflexos são sentidos no cotidiano social e nos espaços de trabalho. Contudo, poucas medidas são tomadas no sentido de freá-lo. Vivemos em uma Sociedade de Risco , onde os riscos ambientais são parte do cotidiano humano, ainda que não sejam pensados ou refletidos, apenas autoconfrontados por indivíduos supostamente protegidos por casulos protetores; que se baseiam na continuidade de rotinas institucionalizadas, na noção de segurança ontológica e nos elementos característicos da Alta Modernidade. No entanto, quando são oportunizadas, aos sujeitos, estratégias de educação ambiental torna-se viável que eles reflitam sobre seus comportamentos e se motivem para a mudança. Diante desse contexto, o objetivo desta investigação foi descrever como acontece a educação ambiental (EA) em uma instituição hospitalar, a partir dos indivíduos diretamente envolvidos no seu planejar e executar formal. Metodologicamente, adotou-se a abordagem qualitativa, do tipo estudo de caso, como método de pesquisa; e como procedimentos de coleta, a pesquisa documental e a entrevista semi-estruturada. O estudo foi desenvolvido junto a um dos hospitais do Grupo Hospitalar Conceição, tendo como sujeitos os indivíduos que integraram o Núcleo de Educação Ambiental e informantes por eles indicados. Nesse processo, com base na análise de conteúdo, construíram-se cinco eixos temáticos. O primeiro eixo discute as concepções dos sujeitos da pesquisa acerca de meio ambiente e de educação ambiental, contemplando seis categorias de análise. O segundo eixo reflete sobre as experiências do Hospital Conceição em termos de Educação ambiental, compondo quatro categorias. O terceiro aborda as consequências das ações de EA em um contexto de Alta Modernidade, englobando duas categorias de análise. O quarto eixo remete a discussão das dificuldades e desafios da EA dentro da instituição de saúde, conglomerando seis categorias. E por fim, o quinto eixo desta pesquisa trilha um caminho possível para o desenvolvimento da EA no contexto hospitalar. Ao final desse estudo, concluiu-se que as ações de EA na instituição em questão são pontuais, fragmentadas e limitadas as práticas de dados indivíduos/grupos interessados no tema; carecendo portanto de: uma política ambiental institucional que funcione como um arcabouço financeiro, legal, estrutural e humano para o desenvolver das ações; de um grupo voltado integralmente a discussão e ao efetuar de atividades no aspecto ambiental; e de envolvimento das chefias. Apesar desses desafios, as ações de EA desenvolvidas na instituição representam um pequeno, mas importante passo, em direção a construção de um saber ambiental complexo e necessário em um contexto de Modernidade Reflexiva.

A presente dissertação analisa o papel da Justiça Restaurativa na atualidade, tratando de situar o seu lugar no debate sociológico, inaugurado por Ferdinand Tönnies, que identifica na comunidade e na sociedade duas formas de sociabilidade distintas. A hipótese de que partimos é a de que, a despeito de ser celebrada como uma panacéia para os males do sistema de justiça criminal tradicional, a Justiça Restaurativa, por evocar um ideal de comunidade de difícil materialização nos dias de hoje, talvez não seja apropriada no contexto das sociedades modernas. Para verificá-la, empreendemos uma revisão da literatura que examina as características e as conseqüências sociais do processo de modernização, com foco nas obras de Anthony Giddens e Zygmunt Bauman. A partir delas, oferecemos um diagnóstico que retrata como a transição de uma modernidade simples para uma modernidade reflexiva acirrou, nas últimas décadas, a sensação de insegurança e transformou o ideal comunitário, que anima a Justiça Restaurativa, em um refúgio para a inconstância da vida moderna. A seguir, descrevemos o desenvolvimento teórico e prático da Justiça Restaurativa e, com o fim de verificar nossa hipótese empiricamente, realizamos um estudo de caso, examinando em profundidade dois conflitos encaminhados ao Programa-Piloto de Justiça Restaurativa dos Juizados Especiais Criminais do Núcleo Bandeirante, localizado nos arredores de Brasília, no Distrito Federal. Concluímos, enfim, que a Justiça Restaurativa, por mobilizar emoções íntimas, funciona bem quando aplicada a conflitos penais protagonizados por pessoas próximas, vinculadas por laços de tipo comunitário. No entanto, quando se trata de conflitos envolvendo estranhos, típicos da modernidade, a estratégia restaurativa tende a ser mal-sucedida. Portanto, do mesmo modo que, no presente, a comunidade é incapaz de substituir a sociedade, uma Justiça Restaurativa atrelada a ideais comunitários não será capaz de alterar significativamente o esquema de funcionamento de um sistema de justiça criminal criado de acordo com as particularidades das sociedades modernas. / This dissertation analyzes the role of Restorative Justice in the present, attempting to place it in the sociological debate launched by Ferdinand Tönnies, who identifies in community and society two different forms of sociability. The hypothesis from which we depart is that, although celebrated as a panacea to the problems of the traditional criminal justice system, perhaps Restorative Justice is not appropriate under the context of modern societies, since it evokes an ideal of community that could hardly be materialized nowadays. In order to verify this hypothesis, we undertake a review of the literature that examines the characteristics and the social consequences of the modernization process, focusing on the works of Anthony Giddens and Zygmunt Bauman. Based upon such accounts, we offer a diagnosis that depicts how the transition from a simple modernity toward a reflexive modernity intensified, in the last decades, the perception of insecurity and transformed the communitarian ideal, which underpins Restorative Justice, into a shelter from the inconstancy of modern life. Then, we describe the theoretical and practical development of Restorative Justice and, in order to empirically verify our hypothesis, we conduct a case study, perusing two conflicts submitted to the Pilot Program of Restorative Justice promoted by the Minor Offences Court of Núcleo Bandeirante, located in the surroundings of Brasilia, in the Federal District. Finally, we conclude that, for mobilizing intimate emotions, Restorative Justice works well when applied to criminal conflicts whose protagonists are closely-related persons, linked by communitarian bounds. However, when it comes to conflicts involving strangers, typical of modernity, the restorative strategy is likely to fail. Therefore, in the same way that community is unable to replace society in the present, a Restorative Justice dependent on communitarian ideals will not be capable of significantly altering the performance of a criminal justice system created according to the particularities of modern societies.

Bakgrund: Statistik visar på att allt fler i Sveriges befolkning upplever en ökad stress i så väl privat- som yrkesliv. Detta yttrar sig till exempel inom områden där digitaliseringen är avhängig för en fortsatt relevans på arbetsmarknaden och inom yrkesgrupper som redan tidigare haft höga krav på kunskap, effektivitet och hastighet. Tidigare forskning visar på ett samband mellan modernitetens framväxt samt de accelerationsprocesser som därigenom tagit fart. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka om svenska nyhetsreportrars bakgrund och deras upplevelser avseende stressrelaterade frågor går att påvisa i förhållande till modernitetsstudier. Metod: Undersökningen är en kvantitativstudie som utförts med hjälp av digitala enkäter med främst fasta svarsalternativ på en ordinalskalenivå. Enkätundersökningen genomfördes av 78 svenska nyhetsredaktioner varav 21 TV-, 26 radio- och 31 tidningsredaktioner där 118 respondenter deltagit i undersökningen. Urvalet var icke slumpmässigt vilket medför att studiens resultat utgörs av deskriptiv statistik. Bearbetning av resultaten gjordes i statistikprogrammet SPSS. Resultat: I resultatet framkommer att stressrelaterade utmaningar finns i yrkesgruppen och att dessa går att relatera till modernitetsstudier. Ytterligare resultat visar att yrkesgruppen identifierar sig i mycket hög grad med sitt yrke, att de inte får tid för reflektion mellan arbetsuppdragen och att de inte är oroliga för att inte hänga med i den tekniska utvecklingen. Konklusion: Bakomliggande variabler såsom kön, ålder, medium och utbildningsnivå har inte uppvisat någon påverkan för upplevd stress. Däremot påvisar modernitetsteorier att indikationer finns på att förhållanden inom yrket skulle behöva vara bättre. Nyhetsreportrars höga krav och positiva inställning till förändring och utveckling i kombination med brist på återhämtning och reflektion kan mot bakgrund till att denna studie vilar mot deskriptiv statistik sägas vara i linje med teorier om samhället som en juggernaut och social acceleration i enlighet med både Anthony Giddens och Hartmut Rosa. / Background: Statistics show that more and more of Sweden’s population is experiencing increased stress in both private and professional life. This manifests itself, for example, in areas where continues relevance on the labor market is dependent on digitization as well as in professional groups with high demands on speed, knowledge and efficiency. Previous research shows a connection between the rise of modernity and increasing acceleration processes.  Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate whether Swedish news reporters’ background and their experiences regarding stress-related issues can be demonstrated in relation to modernity studies. Method: The survey is a quantitative study carried out using digital questionnaires with mainly fixed response options at an ordinal scale level. The survey was conducted at 78 Swedish newsrooms, of which 21 TV, 26 radio and 31 newspaper rooms, where 118 respondents participated in the survey. The selection was not random, which means that the results of the study consist of descriptive statistics. Processing of the results was done in the statistical program SPSS.  Results: The results show that stress-related challenges do exist in the occupational group and that these can be related to modernity studies according to modernity studies. Further results show that the occupational group identifies to a very high degree with their profession, that they do not have enough time for reflection between work assignments and that they are not worried about not keeping up with technical developments.  Conclusion: Underlying variables such as gender, age, medium and level of education have no effect on perceived stress. On the other hand, modernity theories can be emphasized that there are indications that conditions in the profession need to improve. News reporters' high demands and positive attitude to change and development in combined with a lack of recovery and reflection, in light of the fact that this study rests against descriptive statistics, can be said to be in line with theories of society as a juggernaut and social acceleration in accordance with both Anthony Giddens and Hartmut Rosa.

The political discourse that has emerged as a consequence of establishing a European regulatory framework for GMOs has not been without problems. This dissertation addresses the political and regulatory challenges created by the development and use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the EU. The underlying hypothesis in the dissertation is that the emergence of a European policy in the field of GMOs has appeared through new reflexive forms of governance. The aim of this research is to understand how these reflexive forms of regulation have emerged and operate within the EU, with a particular focus on the two GMO directives 90/220/EEC and 2001/18/EC. However, the study scrutinises the regulatory regimes from the 1970s onwards by investigating how the regulatory framework regarding GMOs has been developed and implemented in the EU. This is done through an analysis of the notion of ‘risk’ and the ‘precautionary principle’ since these concepts have been at the forefront of the GMO regulation debate. The empirical approach focuses on how the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council as well as other actors and institutions articulate ambivalence, interpretations and uncertainties in the decision-making processes regarding regulative measures for GMOs, with an accent on risk and the precautionary principle. The main empirical material has been documents concerning the inter-institutional process involved in the regulatory process of making the two directives. The analysis indicates that during the process of implementing GMO regulations, new steering strategies have appeared within the EU’s decision-making institutions when the objective of the regulation has taken centre stage in political and scientific controversies. / Den politiska diskursen som har uppstått som en följd av upprättandet av ett europeiskt regelverk för GMO har inte varit utan problem. Denna avhandling behandlar de politiska utmaningar som alstrats av skapandet och tillämpningen av genetiskt modifierade organismer (GMO) inom EU. Den underliggande hypotesen i avhandlingen är att framväxten av en europeisk politik på området för GMO har uppstått genom nya reflexiva regleringsformer. Syftet med denna forskning är att förstå hur reflexiva regleringsformer har uppkommit och opererar inom EU, med särskilt fokus på de två GMO direktiven 90/220/EEG och 2001/18/EG. Studien analyserar lagstiftning från 1970-talet och framåt genom att undersöka hur lagstiftningen om genetiskt modifierade organismer har utvecklats och implementerats i EU. Detta görs genom en analys av begreppen ‘risk’ och ‘försiktighetsprincipen’ eftersom dessa begrepp har varit centrala för debatten om GMO lagstiftningen. Den empiriska metoden fokuserar på hur Europeiska kommissionen, Europaparlamentet och Europeiska rådet samt andra aktörer och institutioner har uttryckt ambivalens, tolkningar och osäkerhet i beslutsfattandet gällande reglerings åtgärder för genetiskt modifierade organismer, med tonvikt på risk och försiktighetsprincipen. Det huvudsakliga empiriska materialet är dokument gällande den interinstitutionella processen som ägde rum när de två direktiven skapades. Analysen visar att implementeringen av GMO lagstiftningen har skapat nya styrningsstrategier i synnerhet i de fall där ändamålet med lagstiftningen har varit föremål för politiska och vetenskapliga kontroverser.