The regulation of biotechnology: Intellectual property protection of patents and plant variety rights

The societies within Europe and America are much richer than those living 100 years ago, these societies are also vastly more regulated. This regulatory framework that encompasses law and its various offshoots reaches into all elements of human existence. The extraordinary pervasiveness of government-based regulation may not have been entirely responsible for the increasing wealth American and European societies, however a number of theories of regulation have arisen to explain regulation and the effects on various markets. A PhD candidate is sought to study within the area of the regulation of technology by intellectual property specifically in regard to patents and plant variety rights. The scope of this PhD will stretch from the foundations of regulation (such as found in the work of Pigou (1938), Coase (1960) and Stigler (1971)) to the sanctions and accompanying enforcement methods used in both the public and private sector (such as found in Djankov et al. (2003). Environmental and circular economy aspects will also play a part within the scope of this PhD in regard to the use of organisms in food security and various bioremediation and biodegradation processes that are under the protection of intellectual property.