Purpose

This independent blog collects news about projects or achievements in regulatory reform / better regulation. It is edited by Charles H. Montin. All opinions expressed are given on a personal basis.
Background on regulatory quality, see "Archive" tab. To be regularly informed or share your news, join the Smart Regulation Group on LinkedIn: 1,300 members, or register as follower.

27 January 2010

Listening to the stakeholders

Perhaps I should not be posting this, but it is good to also listen to what those who watch regulation and represent the people affected by it have to say about it. We should not only be concerned with perfecting our techniques. In some cases, there is a great deal of opposition to better regulation, as you will see in this article from the Trade Union Institute. Anybody want to comment?

21 January 2010

What's new in OECD regulatory policy?

I am looking for an information document, official or otherwise, that would summarize the current recent evolution of regulatory policy in OECD, following the "upgrade" of the relevant group to "Regulatory Policy Committee".

From Better Regulation to "Smart Regulation"

It is too early to say in any detail how the policy will evolve but change is in the air, to judge by Mr Barroso's political guidelines for his next mandate. Smart regulation, a "successor", more advanced, type of better regulation, would contribute to "sound markets in the EU and at global level". It would "protect the consumer, deliver effectively on public policy objectives without strangling economic operators such as SMEs or unduly restricting their ability to compete". Practical steps would include a major review of existing legislation, to remove "bureaucratic processes and unnecessary centralisation" and extended use of impact assessment.
Does anyone have any views on the issue?

National Better Regulation projects

There is always something new happening in the world of regulatory quality, under its various forms: better regulation, regulatory reform or even "struggle against bureaucracy". We are interested in hearing about simplification, red tape reduction, codification and other improvements of the regulatory environment for business and citizens. Please share with us your news in informal capacity, providing links, if they exist, to national websites !

20 January 2010

RQ definitions

There are several glossaries on the web, presenting RQ definitions,
among which the most extensive are:
- European Commission: Better Regulation glossary of the Secretariat General website
- OECD: trilingual glossary of Terms for Regulatory Reform.
Here are a few of the most useful definitions: