This chapter explores the concept of governance beyond the regulatory state, challenging the traditional view that governance is solely the domain of the nation-state. It critiques three core assumptions of the regulatory state: the instrumental nature of regulation, the central role of the state, and the primacy of state law. The chapter argues for a broader understanding of governance that includes non-state actors and non-legal mechanisms of control. It examines the limitations of state-centric regulatory approaches, such as the Legal Theory of Autopoiesis (LTA) and the theory of responsive regulation, and proposes a post-regulatory state that emphasizes alternative norms, institutions, and processes. The chapter highlights the importance of soft law, contractual rules, and self-regulation in shaping economic and social relations, and suggests that effective governance can be achieved through a variety of control mechanisms, not just state law and hierarchical structures.This chapter explores the concept of governance beyond the regulatory state, challenging the traditional view that governance is solely the domain of the nation-state. It critiques three core assumptions of the regulatory state: the instrumental nature of regulation, the central role of the state, and the primacy of state law. The chapter argues for a broader understanding of governance that includes non-state actors and non-legal mechanisms of control. It examines the limitations of state-centric regulatory approaches, such as the Legal Theory of Autopoiesis (LTA) and the theory of responsive regulation, and proposes a post-regulatory state that emphasizes alternative norms, institutions, and processes. The chapter highlights the importance of soft law, contractual rules, and self-regulation in shaping economic and social relations, and suggests that effective governance can be achieved through a variety of control mechanisms, not just state law and hierarchical structures.