This book provides a genealogy of the concept of 'protocol' in government. It examines the functions that different protocols play in the contemporary world, and how they act as devices which regulate delicate and strategic fields of politics and society. The book opens by assessing the historical origins of the word 'protocol', proposes a typology of protocols, and highlights the three main actions of these devices: formalising, standardising, and certifying. It then stresses the ways in which protocols are employed as governing devices, their use as policy instruments, and their role within capitalism. The book concludes by analysing protocol as a method for managing various aspects of social life. The politics of protocols and the dilemmas they present, especially within crisis and emergency scenarios, are also discussed. The book will appeal to scholars and students of public policy, sociology, political philosophy and the theory of law.

Enrico Gargiulo is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Bologna, Italy. His publications include Invisible Borders: Administrative Barriers and Citizenship in the Italian Municipalities (2021), as well as works on citizenship, registration and identification, demographic devices, population enactment, administrative discretion, security and police forces.