Supplely regulating nuclear risks: The origins of a French exception (1960-1985): A French model for regulating nuclear risks ?

France has a historical tradition of codifying rules and regulations into an elaborate corpus of public law applied by a powerful administration. However the nuclear industry seems to have long been spared this tradition. This analysis of the development and operation of the French system for regulating nuclear risks between 1960 and 1985 brings to light a suppleness of the first rules, standards and orientations for risk-management. This French exception has two explanations: the structure of the network of the institutions involved in regulations; and the political, industrial and social context in which the "small world" of nuclear safety evolved. This analysis stimulates thought about how the French risk-regulation regime is evolving in the current context.