Reinforcing Regulatory Frameworks through Standards, Measurements and Assurance

Executive summary

People and businesses make everyday decisions – such as using transport, buying food, or choosing housing – that can pose a risk to health, safety, and the environment. Ensuring the safety of products and services for consumers is first and foremost the responsibility of the government. However, governments rely on a multitude of institutions that work to ensure citizens can trust these products and services. Where governments manage risks through policy and regulatory interventions, they are often complemented by institutions that define standards and ensure consistent measurements; independently and competently assess conformity with the standards (conformity assessment and accreditation); and keep an eye on the market (market surveillance).

This standards and quality assurance system can be complex and is facilitated by a collaboration between government-recognised public bodies (e.g. National Standard, Accreditation and Metrology bodies, government departments for consumer safety, etc.) and private sector bodies (e.g. certification bodies), together called “quality Infrastructure” (QI). This system of standards and quality assurance exists in some form in most countries, is strongly connected to government and policy implementation, and supports the functioning of the economy and global trade. This report explores the key features of and interrelations between regulation, standards, and quality assurance, to understand how this QI system supports the design and delivery of regulation to tackle global challenges, and how government can enable and optimise a national QI system. The report includes a checklist to help governments create a more effective and efficient system of standards, measurement, and quality assurance that is fit for the future.

Standards and quality assurance as a support for better regulation

By embedding standards and quality assurance (quality infrastructure or QI) in regulatory systems, governments can build more adaptive, efficient, and innovation-friendly regulatory environments. QI can significantly enhance the design and delivery of regulations by offering flexible and responsive tools that complement traditional legislative processes. While standards can become mandatory through regulation, they are more commonly used voluntarily, providing adaptable governance frameworks that evolve with societal and market needs. Businesses can demonstrate compliance of this standards through conformity assessment bodies (e.g. by gaining certification) and ensure they are in line with public goals such as environmental performance. This approach enables governments to set high-level objectives while allowing industry the flexibility to determine how best to achieve them, fostering innovation and collaboration between public and private sectors.

However, without clearly defined regulatory pathways, navigating a fragmented landscape of standards, guidance and other assurance frameworks, can be burdensome for businesses. To ensure effective implementation, monitoring, and enforcement of regulations, policymakers can integrate QI services—including metrology, accreditation, conformity assessment, and market surveillance—into regulatory design and delivery. This requires early consultation with QI bodies, use of regulatory impact assessment to assess compliance costs, and mechanisms for using data from conformity assessments and inspections to continuously refine regulations. To simplify the governance landscape, QI bodies and governments should also foster proactive collaboration across the actors in the economy, from businesses, NGO’s, regulators through to government departments, to reduce creation of duplicative norms, standards, frameworks, and streamline how compliance to policy can be demonstrated.

Effective governance for standards, quality assurance and regulatory systems

The governance and institutional location of QI bodies vary widely across countries, influenced by national contexts and historical factors. Their positioning within federal or national regulatory frameworks affects their autonomy, independence, and ability to align with key policy priorities. Limited visibility or influence of QI bodies can hinder their integration into policymaking, and create duplication of solutions across the economy. Maintaining the integrity, impartiality, and independence of QI bodies is essential to ensure evidence-based advice and prevent capture by special interests, thereby supporting diverse stakeholders effectively. Governments should also ensure collaboration with QI bodies, and their stakeholders, including businesses, to streamline their approaches to common policy problems, and reduce duplication of standards, norms and assurance frameworks.

Strong co-ordination among QI bodies, regulators, and governments is crucial, especially for tackling complex challenges such as the green transition and digital transformation. Governments can establish clear policies defining QI structures, co-ordination mechanisms, and resource allocation, anticipating sectoral needs (e.g., infrastructure, health, environment). Conversely, the standards and quality assurance system can be complex and difficult to navigate, and QI bodies can modernise and simplify their processes to keep pace with rapid technological changes, becoming more agile, innovative, and digitally adept.

Leveraging standards and quality assurance to tackle global challenges

Global challenges such as the green transition and the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) demand that governments create adaptive solutions that keep pace with technological advancements and societal changes. Standards and quality assurance systems share key goals with regulatory frameworks, including fostering innovation, promoting economic growth, and protecting consumers and the environment. Policymakers can use QI to address governance gaps by developing international standards that align with evolving scientific research and best practices or by establishing safety principles responsive to AI innovations. Addressing these challenges requires internationally co-ordinated, interdisciplinary, and inclusive approaches that also respect national priorities.

Since regulations typically operate within national borders, international co-operation through well-integrated QI systems is essential to enhance regulatory coherence and interoperability across countries. QI facilitates mutual recognition of certifications and harmonises measurement systems, reducing trade barriers. By convening diverse stakeholders and enabling consensus-driven standards, QI links voluntary corporate actions with regulatory frameworks, supporting aligned global efforts for example in the environmental sphere.

However, the variance of standards and assurance systems around the world, and the complexity of international QI organisations can be difficult to navigate. It is crucial to simplify processes to enable stakeholders to engage with QI more easily, and to collaborate to avoid duplication. Building capacity in lower-income countries to participate in international standards and quality assurance development is also crucial for inclusive, effective participation in these processes.