Spotlight On: The Florence School of Regulation

The Florence School of Regulation is one of the major research projects based at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, researching EU wide regulatory policy focusing on Communications and Media, Energy and Transport.

Despite its academic roots the FSR aims to take a practical approach to its field of studies, especially in the area of energy, the topic on which director Jean-Michel Glachant focuses. “European energy policy cannot be academic only. It is real policy. You cannot have a closed-door academic approach.”

On top of his research Glachant is the editor of the journal, Economics of Energy & Environmental Policy. Maintaining “strong, robust and logical reasoning” it is nonetheless written in such a way the reader doesn’t require an in-depth knowledge of economics to understand. “The Energy Journal was so scientific that at some point it became a burden,” says Glachant. “We can explain scientific things not just with maths, and economic tricks.”

The editorial board of EEEP includes a Director General of the European Commission, an economist from the World Bank, directors of private companies and NGOs as well as academics.

“This is an academic journal that has the same research policy as the FSR,” says Glachant. “It is part of a trend to change the way knowledge is created, disseminated, allowing the public more and more to enter into a dialogue with academia.”

The Florence School of Regulation hosts regular conferences on a variety of issues surrounding regulatory policy in Europe and posts videos on its YouTube Channel explaining the its findings and recommendations.