Bettina Lange

Bettina Lange’s main research interests are in nature and society interactions in environmental law ‘in action’. This involves analysis of options for and limits to state law as a mode of regulation.

Bettina is also interested in institutional governance structures for regulation in the context of EU co-ordination of education policy, such as through the Open-Method of Co-ordination.

Her research is based on qualitative empirical data, analysed through a ‘grounded theory’ approach or discourse analysis. Some of her work is informed by social theoretical lenses, such as systems-theory, regulatory space analysis and governmentality perspectives. Her research has been funded by the ESRC, NERC, BA, DAAD and OU John Fell Fund.

Her article with Mark Shepheard ‘Changing conceptions of rights to water? An eco-socio-legal perspective’ won jointly the Journal of Environmental Law Richard Macrory best article prize 2014.

Bettina was shortlisted for an OU SU ‘supervisor of the year’ award in 2017. She was awarded a Teaching Excellence Award for supervision of graduate students by the Social Sciences Divisional Board in 2023.