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ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION
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AND DEVELOPMENT
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The OECD is a unique forum where the governments of 30 democracies L e together
work to
address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation. The OECD is also at
the forefront of efforts to understand and to help governments respond to new developments and
concerns, such as corporate governance, the information economy and the challenges of an
ageing population. The Organisation provides a setting where governments can compare policy
experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate
domestic and international policies.
The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic,
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea,
Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic,
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Commission of
the European Communities takes part in the work of the OECD.
OECD Publishing disseminates widely the results of the Organisation’s statistics gathering and
research on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as the conventions, guidelines and
standards agreed by its members.
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e _it E d itFOREWORD
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Foreword
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overnments face increasing challenges to design regulatory systems which promote and protect
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the welfare of citizens. Part of this challenge is to improve the evidence basis for regulatory decision-
making to ensure that regulations are only implemented if they are efficient and effective. Since the
first OECD member countries adopted Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) in 1974 as a means of
systematically improving the quality of regulation, growth in its use among members has been
rapid. Currently, nearly all member countries now have regulatory management systems which
require some form of RIA before new regulations are made. However, the implementation of RIA
continues to present complex challenges. Experience of RIA systems is relatively recent for many
OECD countries, RIA systems continue to develop and evolve in their scope and application, and the
results of many reviews of the effectiveness of RIA suggest mixed success with influencing the
quality of individual regulations.
RIA is only one part of a system of regulatory quality management but it is an important one.
If it is done well it can produce significant benefits through improving the design of individual
regulations. Since the publication in 1997 of Regulatory Impact Analysis: Best Practice in OECD
Countries, the OECD has continued to analyse and commission research into methodological issues
and country experiences with the conduct of RIA. This publication builds on and updates previous
work by the OECD. It draws on multidisciplinary discussions held in the context of the OECD
Horizontal Programme on Regulatory Reform held in 2006. It also includes subsequent analytical
work developing both the methodological aspects of RIA, as well as its use for integrating
competition assessment in the process of preparing new regulations. It also includes a specific
contribution as an example of practical application of RIA to a consistent policy issue in multiple
jurisdictions. These studies cover fundamental challenges to the effectiveness of RIA and provide
guidance for resolving these challenges. They will be of use to practitioners concerned with the
conduct of RIA and its application to individual regulations, and to those responsible for
implementing or reviewing the performance of RIA systems.
Each paper contains concrete policy advice on how to improve the design and performance of
RIA systems. The collection of papers in this book is intended to provide valuable, practical guidance on
how to improve the potential of RIA to promote economic welfare through better quality regulation, as
reflected in the OECD 2005 Guiding Principles for Regulatory Quality and Performance.
REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS: A TOOL FOR POLICY COHERENCE – ISBN 978-92-64-04354-1 – © OECD 2009 3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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Acknowledgements
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his publication was prepared and finalised by Gregory Bounds, Policy Analyst, under the direction of
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Josef Konvitz, Head of Division, within the Regulatory Policy Division of the OECD. The publication
draws on a set of papers prepared for discussion by the OECD Working Party on Regulatory
Management and Reform, the Group on Regulatory Policy as well as the Working Party on Competition
and Regulation. This work was initially launched and co-ordinated by Stephane Jacobzone, Principal
Administrator, Regulatory Policy Division, in the context of the OECD Horizontal Programme for
Regulatory Reform. The paper “Regulatory Impact Analysis: a Tool for Policy Coherance” was drafted
by Gregory Bounds. The papers on “Determinants of Quality in Regulatory Impact Analysis” and
“Methodological Frameworks for Regulatory Impact Assessment” were drafted by Rex Deighton-Smith,
consultant for the OECD Regulatory Policy Division. Ahmet Korkmaz, policy analyst at the OECD at
that time made valuable contributions to the paper on methodological frameworks for regulatory
impact analysis. The paper on “Integrating Competition Assessment in Regulatory Impact
Assessment” was drafted by Rex Deighton-Smith and Sean Ennis, Principal Administrator, OECD
Competition Policy Division, headed by Bernard Phillips, Head of Division. The paper “Towards Better
Regulation in Corporate Governance: Experience in Implementing Regulatory Impact Assessment” was
drafted by Grant Kirkpatrick, Senior Economist, for the meeting of the OECD Steering Group on
Corporate Governance in November 2007. The report was prepared for publication by Jennifer Stein.
4 REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS: A TOOL FOR POLICY COHERENCE – ISBN 978-92-64-04354-1 – © OECD 2009
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Table of contents
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Acronyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
An 8 r
Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .L . . .c
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Review of major forms of restrictions on competition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
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Full competition assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
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Which policies merit a full competition assessment? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
When should a competition assessment be performed in the policy
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development process?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
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Who drafts and reviews a competition assessment? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
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Giving policy makers incentives to prepare an appropriate assessment? . . . . . . . . 145
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What resources are required for competition assessment? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
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Integrating the outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
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Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 r
Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .L . . .c
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Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Chapter 5. Applying RIA to Policy Making in the Area of Corporate Governance . . . . . 149
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Clarifying the policy questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Experience with ex ante regulatory impact assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Case studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Ex post regulatory impact assessments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Content test: UK operating and financial review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Ex post consultations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Econometric studies: Selected examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Boxes
2.1. The RIA challenge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
2.2. Valuation of a statistical life: Human capital and willingness to pay
methodologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
3.1. Updating references to guidance documents analysed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
3.2. Conceptual approach to the discount rate in France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
3.3. Systematic bias?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
4.1. Competition Checklist for the conduct of competition assessments . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
4.2. Australian national competition policy reforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
5.1. The widening analytical scope of RIA: Potential problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
5.2. Assessment questions posed by the SEC in implementing Section 404 . . . . . . . . . . 174
Tables
3.1. Recommended real discount rates (UK Green Book) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
3.2. Recommended real discount rates (Weitzman, 2001) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
3.3. Specific partial impacts explicitly required to be assessed in RIA
(where relevant) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
5.1. Qualitatively rating an individual impact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
5.2. Classifying types of detriment to consumers and potential benefits
of regulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
5.3. Illustration of indirect measurement of benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
6 REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS: A TOOL FOR POLICY COHERENCE – ISBN 978-92-64-04354-1 – © OECD 2009
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Summary of costs by option. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
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5.5. Impact of changes to directors’ care and auditors’ role on audit review costs . . . . . . . 161
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5.6. Qualitative assessment of costs and benefits: Prospectus for rights issues . . . . . . . 163
5.7. National Audit Office evaluation of the OFR impact assessment: Criteria . . . . . . . . 171
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1.1. Trend in RIA adoption across OECD countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
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1.2. Regulatory Impact Analysis: Requirement for RIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
1.3. The requirement to measure specific impacts in RIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
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ACRONYMS
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ACRONYMS
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BCA Benefit-Cost Analysis An r
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BRC Better Regulation Commission Lect
BTRE Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics
CBS Central Bureau of Statistics
CEA Cost Effectiveness Analysis
CGE Computable-General-Equilibrium
DfT Department for Transport
EVA Economic Value Added
FD Fair Disclosure
FSA Financial Services Authority
GDP Gross Domestic Product
HSE Health and Safety Executive
MCA Multi-Criteria Analysis
MFA Market failure analysis
MSN Major shareholding notifications
NAO National Audit Office
NCP National Competition Policy
NPV Net Present Value
OBPR Office of Best Practice Regulation
OFR Operating and Financial Review
OFT Office of Fair Trading
OHSA Occupational Health and Safety Authority
OMB Office of Management and Budget
ORR Office of Regulation Review
PDV Present discounted value
RAS Risk Across Sectors
Reg FD Regulation Fair Disclosure
RIA Regulatory Impact Analysis
SAB Science Advisory Board
SEC Securities and Exchange Commission
VSL Valuation of a Statistical Life
8 REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS: A TOOL FOR POLICY COHERENCE – ISBN 978-92-64-04354-1 – © OECD 2009
E d SUMMARY
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Executive Summary
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This publication brings together recent research and analysis on important factors
influencing the sucessful conduct of Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA). It includes papers
Lect
on relevant RIA topics covering methodological issues and country experiences, including;
systemic factors which influence the quality of RIA, methodological frameworks which can
assist RIA to improve regulation, guidance on using RIA to avoid unnecessary regulation of
competitive markets and a review of the use of RIA in the regulation of corporate
governance across a number of OECD countries. Taken together, this publication provides
valuable, practical guidance on how to improve the performance of RIA systems to improve
policy coherence and promote economic welfare through better quality regulation. It will
be of use for countries with an interest in enhancing or refining the use of RIA and
evaluating where a bigger investment of public resources in improvements to RIA may be
of most benefit.
Chapter 1 discusses the use of RIA as an instrument to promote coherence in
regulatory policy. The use of RIA has particular prominence in OECD countries as a
systemic mechanism for assessing that the estimated benefits of proposed regulation
exceed the estimated costs. The OECD has been a long-standing advocate of the use of RIA,
recommending in 1997 that governments “integrate regulatory impact analysis into the
development, review, and reform of regulations.” The 2005 Guiding Principles for Regulatory
Quality and Performance reinforced the benefits of RIA. In the context of increasing policy
complexity, robust evidence-based policy mechanisms that are integrated in governance
processes are important for maximising the welfare benefits of regulatory policy and
minimising costs.
One of the fundamental challenges for RIA systems is ensuring that the analysis is
undertaken at the inception of policy proposals, when there is an opportunity and interest
in identifying the optimal approach and alternatives to regulation can be given serious
consideration. How broadly RIA is applied will also influence its capacity to affect the
quality of regulatory proposals. The application of RIA to regulatory instruments should be
optimised to promote the best policy outcomes. Taking a proportionate approach is
recommended so that the resources required by RIA are applied to those regulations likely
to have the most significant impact.
Chapter 2 discusses how a focus on factors of institutional design can improve the
quality of RIA. The implementation of RIA across OECD is a long-term endeavour and the
experiences of OECD countries provide insights into ways of improving the overall quality
of RIA. Important systemic factors that are likely to be influential in determining the
quality of regulatory impact analysis are: the design of RIA processes and methodologies;
the level of formal authority and political support given to the RIA process; and the
REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS: A TOOL FOR POLICY COHERENCE – ISBN 978-92-64-04354-1 – © OECD 2009 9
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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incorporation of specific quality assurance and oversight mechanisms in government to
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Chapter 3 examines the methodological frameworks for RIA. Undertaking RIA is a
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technically challenging exercise. Improving the methodological guidance available to
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ability to contribute to better regulation. This chapter surveys the guidance that is available
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to RIA practitioners and provides a reference on key topics that jurisdictions can adapt to
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assess and improve the quality of their own guidance material, or to commence drafting
guidance material for use by policy analysts.
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Chapter 4 is adapted from the 2007 OECD Competition Assessment Toolkit, and provides
guidance on how to conduct a competition assessment on possible regulatory approaches.
This chapter illustrates how even a relatively small investment of public sector resources
in the removal of unnecessary restrictions on competition in regulation can have
significant welfare improvements if it is done systematically. It also provides guidance on
how to get maximum value by integrating competition assessment processes within the
regulatory policy cycle.
Chapter 5 examines the use of RIA in corporate governance regulation by financial
services regulators to strengthen their evidence-based policy-making. It is useful for policy
practitioners to understand how to undertake RIA in their own field of policy interest, and
to consider comparative examples of how analysts in other regulatory sectors go about it.
The chapter draws on examples from OECD experience notably: Canada, Australia, the UK,
US and the EU. It looks at how regulators have dealt with some of the challenges to
effective RIA which include: defining the problem, undertaking effective consultation, and
identifying and measuring costs and benefits. This paper makes an important contribution
to this underdeveloped area of study for corporate governance and sets out an approach that
could potentially be applied to the analysis of RIA experience in other regulatory fields.
Good governance processes are important to manage policy complexity and to assist
governments to support an administrative culture that is well equipped to consider the
consequences of policy options and to promote the economic, environmental and social
welfare goals that serve the interests of citizens. The material in this publication can assist
countries to improve their governance arrangements for promoting policy coherence
through the incorporation of and refinements to systems for regulatory impact analysis
producing more efficient regulation and delivering better regulatory outcomes.
10 REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS: A TOOL FOR POLICY COHERENCE – ISBN 978-92-64-04354-1 – © OECD 2009
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Chapter 1
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Chapter 1 discusses the potential for governments to improve the evidence basis
for policy and promote coherence through the systematic integration of RIA in the
policy process. It outlines some of the issues affecting the performance of RIA and
opportunities for identifying improvements with reference to the chapters of this
publication.
11
1. REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS: A TOOL FOR POLICY COHERENCE
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Introduction
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In principle better decision-making processes should lead to better policy decisions.
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Policy decisions are by nature challenging, requiring a careful balance of the public interest
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which is not easy to determine. The rapid rate of technological development, global
interconnectedness and increasing reliance on private capital to drive economic development
all contribute to make the identification of public interests ever more complex. In the face of
complexity, elected officials cannot abdicate their responsibility for making policy
decisions to analysts. But, if governments are going to produce coherent and effective
policies, it is increasingly important that political decision makers have the best advice and
evidence available.
The quality of the advice provided depends largely on having robust analytical
processes that are integrated with the policy making apparatus and capable of
communicating information to decision makers at the time when it can have a positive
influence. In political systems which rely on the exercise of delegated powers it is
reasonable for citizens to expect that policy decisions take into account a prior
consideration of the anticipated impacts, and are informed by the views of stakeholders
that are likely to be affected by these decisions.
Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA)1 aims to be both a tool and a decision process for
informing political decision makers on whether and how to regulate to achieve public
policy goals. As a tool supporting decision making, RIA systematically examines the
potential impacts of government actions by asking questions about the costs and benefits;
how effective will the action be achieving its policy goals and; whether there are superior
alternative approaches available to governments. As a decision process, RIA is integrated
with systems for consultation, policy development and rule making within government in
order to communicate information ex ante about the expected effects of regulatory
proposals at a time and in a form that can be used by decision makers, and also ex post to
assist governments to evaluate existing regulations.
The OECD is a long-standing advocate of the adoption of RIA by governments to ensure
that regulation achieves its objectives effectively and efficiently in a changing world.
The 1995 Recommendation of the Council of the OECD on Improving the Quality of Government
Regulation promotes benefit-cost analysis of regulatory proposals and feasible alternatives to
justify government action. In 1997 the OECD produced the volume Regulatory Impact Analysis:
Best Practices in OECD Countries. The 2002 OECD report, Regulatory Policies in OECD Countries:
From Interventionism to Regulatory Governance, identified many of the challenges for
governments in implementing RIA noting that it is a long-term goal that “must involve the
progressive development and dissemination of specific expertise, the refinement of
implementation and control mechanisms and the achievement of change in administrative
culture” (OECD, 2002, p. 51).
The updated 2005 OECD Guiding Principles for Regulatory Quality explicitly supports the
integration of RIA in “the development, review and revision of significant regulation.”
12 REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS: A TOOL FOR POLICY COHERENCE – ISBN 978-92-64-04354-1 – © OECD 2009
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REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS: A TOOL FOR POLICY COHERENCE
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The 2007 OECD Competition Assessment Toolkit is predicated on the integration of
w
n
o
competition assessment in RIA as a way of improving both competition assessment and
D Br
y
nl
RIA processes (OECD, 2007, p. 24 and OECD, 2008). The OECD has continued to collect
experiences from members through dedicated research on the topic and also through the
u le
conduct of country studies to examine the experiences of members in promoting
d
EC
regulatory governance. This publication continues that tradition to disseminate the
ea
analysis of the OECD on how to improve the conduct of RIA.
se
R
O
The 1997 OECD publication on Regulatory Impact Analysis: Best Practices in OECD
Countries, drew attention to the differences that were offered by RIA as a rational policy
e
An r
tu
model from other models used to develop policy in governments. As an evidence-based
L e cbased
method, RIA can be distinguished from other policy methods for reaching decisions
on the advice of trusted experts, consensus among stakeholders, partisan political position
or the adoption of regulatory approaches in place in other jurisdictions. Of course the
reality of policy development means that these and other decision methods will continue
to be influential in policy design. Policy development is not necessarily linear and rational
and the design and implementation of policy is influenced by many factors relating to the
local cultural and administrative traditions and political processes.
Looking across the OECD, much has changed since 1997. As a governance process RIA
now forms a core component of the regulatory management strategy of all governments
throughout the OECD. As an integrated systemic procedure, it has become one of the most
widely used processes for improving the quality of regulatory decision-making. The
widespread adoption of RIA increases the need for information on how to improve the
design of systems for undertaking RIA. A number of countries have built up many years of
practical experience with the operation of RIA while others are still in the early stages of
implementing their RIA systems. Country approaches to RIA systems are diverse. The
papers reproduced here draw on the recent experiences of countries with methodological
issues and system design, with the aim of synthesising important lessons.
It is worthwhile reiterating therefore that RIA alone is not sufficient for designing or
selecting policy instruments. It is not a substitute for political decision-making. But as an
empirical approach, RIA has a key role to play in strengthening the quality of policy debate
by making the potential consequences of decisions more transparent and bringing more
clarity to the relevant factors influencing the decision. If it is well integrated with other
models for decision making, it can be a positive influence for improving policy outcomes
and promoting policy coherence.
An important objective of policy is to improve the welfare of citizens. But if
governments are to maximise the public value of their initiatives, it is important that
government action is targeted and effective and that the benefits to society are higher than
the costs. A coherent approach to regulation requires that decision makers have
information about what these costs and benefits are and what the unintended effects of
decisions may be for other areas of government policy. For example, a regulation that aims
to improve service standards by limiting suppliers in a market may have the unintended
effect of raising costs to consumers and business, inadvertently reducing productivity,
increasing unemployment and ultimately preventing improvements to standards that may
have come through competition. Or, as another example, the restriction of a dangerous
product may stimulate an informal market for substitutes resulting in the uncontrolled use
of similarly dangerous products and worse overall health outcomes. In each case regulatory
REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS: A TOOL FOR POLICY COHERENCE – ISBN 978-92-64-04354-1 – © OECD 2009 13
1. REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS: A TOOL FOR POLICY COHERENCE
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s io
w
action by one part of government precipitates another possible regulatory action from another
n
o
part of government. A coherent approach which identifies and anticipates these potential
D Br
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nl
unintended effects before a policy is determined depends upon an ex ante impact assessment
of the likely consequences.
u le
In pursuit of policy coherence there is a strong case for integrating RIA practices
d
EC
within the administrative culture of governments. The development of policy and its
ea
se
adoption in regulation is a complex and involved process. Unconstrained use of regulation
R
O
imposes economic costs on society, stifling entrepreneurship and competiveness.
However, because the costs of regulation are diffuse and indirect and regulations are not
e
An r
tu
subject to the budget constraints of fiscal policy, evidence of the costs of regulation is not
L e c that
always apparent. While there are limits to the cumulative amount of regulation
governments can impose on society without having a negative effect on welfare, there is no
practical regulatory budget constraint as there is for fiscal budget measures. Because of
this, it cannot be assumed that regulators will necessarily limit their use of regulation as a
tool to achieve policy goals, even if regulation has not been demonstrated to be an efficient
approach. Regulators play a vital role in delivering public policy, but without good
governance arrangements such as the use of RIA, regulators do not have the tools or the
incentives to examine whether an alternative approach to regulation may be a more
efficient means of achieving a policy goal.
Governments are under pressure to respond to demands for social improvements, but
all government action involves some sort of tradeoff. There are always groups that gain
from government action and groups that lose, some stakeholders may have an incentive to
demand regulation, others to remove regulation. Business groups are an important source
of advice on the effects of regulation, but they also have incentives to engage in rent-
seeking behaviour to improve their own economic returns at a cost to competitive
outcomes. Citizens understandably want the government to regulate to remove risks, but
as a group, citizens may not be aware that in some cases the costs of risk regulation may
exceed the benefits to society. Not all risks can be reduced to zero, and the opportunity
costs of attempts to remove some risks may have the perverse effect of increasing risks in
another area of society. Regulators who act without first seeking input from groups
affected by a regulation may easily fail to identify whether or how compliance with the
regulation will be achieved. Regulators may also be vulnerable to regulatory capture,
responding to the one-sided demands of interest groups; they may take an overly short-
term view, or make reactive decisions and fail to consider the effects of their regulation on
another part of government. These factors increase the risk that regulation will fail to
achieve its goals and potentially reduces the coherence of government policy. This
illustrates that without the oversight of good governance arrangements like those that are
in a good RIA system, governments are more vulnerable to the problem of generating
regulation that is excessive, unnecessary or poorly designed.
A well functioning RIA system can assist in promoting policy coherence by making
transparent the tradeoffs inherent in regulatory proposals, identifying who is likely to
benefit from the distribution of impacts from regulation, and how risk reduction in one
area may create risks for another area of government policy. RIA improves the use of
evidence in policy making and reduces the incidence of regulatory failure arising from
regulating where there is no case for doing so, or failing to regulate when there is a clear need.
14 REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS: A TOOL FOR POLICY COHERENCE – ISBN 978-92-64-04354-1 – © OECD 2009
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REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS: A TOOL FOR POLICY COHERENCE
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Widely adopted but practised differently
w
n
o
D Br
y
An examination of RIA practices within OECD jurisdictions indicates that the adoption of
nl
RIA is now widespread, but its design and application varies significantly. In 1980 only two or
O
three countries were using RIA. By 2000 14 of 28 OECD countries had adopted RIA programmes.
u le
The 2005 OECD survey of Indicators of Regulatory Management Systems (OECD, 2007) 2
d
EC
ea
(subsequently updated in 2008) revealed that all OECD juridictions now routinely carry out
se
some form of RIA on new regulations before finalising and implementing them (Figure 1.1).
R
O
Figure 1.1. Trend in RIA adoption across OECD juridictions
e
An r
u
Number of jurisdictions
31
Lect
25
20
15
10
0
19 4
19 5
19 6
19 7
19 8
19 9
19 0
19 1
19 2
19 3
84
19 5
19 6
19 7
19 8
19 9
90
19 1
19 2
19 3
19 4
19 5
19 6
19 7
19 8
99
20 0
20 1
02
20 3
04
20 5
20 6
20 7
08
7
7
7
7
7
7
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
0
0
0
0
0
19
19
19
20
20
20
Note: This represents the trend in the number of OECD juridictions with a formal requirement for regulatory impact
analysis (beyond a simple budget or fiscal impact).
REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS: A TOOL FOR POLICY COHERENCE – ISBN 978-92-64-04354-1 – © OECD 2009 15
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