The Problem with Regulation in the Age of Globalization

PHG Foundation: [A] new publication in the journal Cell Stem Cell has claimed that countries with less restrictive regulatory regimes account for a disproportionately high level of scientific publications [Levine AD (2008) Cell Stem Cell2(6): 521-4], supporting concerns cited by many prominent US researchers that without easing of current legislation such as current restrictions on the use of federal funding for stem cell research (see previous news), the country will lag behind in this area of medicine. Countries dubbed ‘overperforming’ in stem cell publications were Singapore, the UK, Israel, China and Australia, whilst ‘underperformers’ included the US, Japan, France and Switzerland (see Nature news). The author concludes that the most highly performing countries had generally permissive policy environments for HES cell research, whilst those lagging behind were characterised by “protracted policy debates and ongoing uncertainty, regardless of their current policy environment”.