This book is the result of a challenging and inspiring three-year research conducted at the Network for the Advancement of Social and Political Studies at the University of Milan and enriched by a research stay at the Centre of European Governance at the University of Exeter. It draws from my doctoral dissertation and reflects my interest in regulation and gover- nance effectiveness in the domains of food safety and in set-theoretic and comparative methods. The research vision of this book is mainly driven by my curiosity about policy and regulatory processes, governance, policy capacity, and institutional theories.
This book is the result of many encounters and exchanges with scholars and experts who supported me in confronting my research questions. I am grateful to those who have read and discussed my work in the past years, and inspired and stimulated my intellectual journey. I would like to especially thank Alessia Damonte for her guidance and training. I am also grateful for the expert advice and intellectual inspiration of Claudio Radaelli, Eva Thomann, Adrian Dusa̧, and Maria Stella Righettini. My warm thanks also go to Carsten Daugbjerg and Jeroen Candel, who supported me into the final steps of my work.