Trend in RIA adoption across OECD jurisdictions Note: Based on data from 36 countries and the European Commission. Source: 2014 and 2017 Regulatory Indicators Survey results, Measuring Regulatory Performance.

Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) is a systemic approach to critically assessing the positive and negative effects of proposed and existing regulations and non-regulatory alternatives. As employed in OECD countries it encompasses a range of methods. It is an important element of an evidence-based approach to policy making. OECD analysis shows that conducting RIA within an appropriate systematic framework can underpin the capacity of governments to ensure that regulations are efficient and effective in a changing and complex world. Some form of RIA has now been adopted by all OECD members, but they have all nevertheless found the successful implementation of RIA administratively and technically challenging.

This page provides links to the considerable research undertaken by the OECD on methodological issues and country experiences with the implementation of RIA and includes guidance material to improve the performance of RIA, its early integration with policy making and the promotion of more coherent regulatory policy across government.

 

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OECD publications

• Implementing Regulatory Impact Analysis in the Central Government of Peru - English - Spanish (2019)
• Better Regulation Practices across the European Union (2019) 
• OECD Regulatory Policy Outlook 2018 (2018)
• Chile Evaluation Report: Regulatory Impact Assessment (2017)
• Promoting Inclusive Growth through Better Regulation: The Role of Regulatory Impact Assessment, OECD Regulatory Policy Working Papers, No. 3 (2016)
• OECD Regulatory Policy Outlook 2015 (2015)
• Regulatory Policy in Perspective: A Reader's Companion to the OECD Regulatory Policy Outlook 2015
• Implementing Good Regulatory Practice in Malaysia (2015)
• Sustainability in Impact Assessments: A Review of Impact Assessment Systems in Selected OECD Countries and the European Commission (2012)
• Integrating the Environment in Regulatory Impact Assessments (2011)
• Regulatory Impact Analysis: A Tool for Policy Coherence (2009)
• Introductory Handbook for Undertaking Regulatory Impact Analysis (2008) Russian version of the Handbook
• Building an Institutional Framework for Regulatory Impact Analysis: Guidance for Policy Makers (2008)
• Indicators of Regulatory Management Systems (2007) 
• RIA in OECD Countries and Challenges for Developing Countries (2005)
• RIA Inventory (2004)
• Regulatory Impact Analysis – Best Practices in OECD Countries (1997)
• Ten good practices in the design and implementation of RIA (1997)

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Workshops and seminars

• OECD provides training to Costa Rica officials to improve the quality of regulation, San Juan, Costa Rica, 2017
• Training Workshop on Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA), Lima, Peru, 2017
• International Training Workshop on Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIA) with the Transport Infrastructure Regulator of Peru (OSITRAN), Lima Peru, 2017
• OSINERGMIN, Peru's Energy Regulator, Begins RIA implementation, Lima, Peru, 2016
• Workshop on Measuring Regulatory Performance: Embedding Regulatory Policy in Law and Practice, Reyjavik, 2015
• Workshop on Regulatory Consultation, Bogota, Colombia, 2015
• Workshop on the elaboration and evaluation of regulatory impact assessment, Bogota, Colombia, 2015
• Workshop on the elaboration and evaluation of RIA at sub-national level, Cuernavaca Morelos, Mexico, 2014
• Workshop in Risk Assessment in Regulatory Impact Analysis, Mexico, 2014
• Workshop on Competition Assessment in RIA, Mexico City, 2013
• Capacity Building Seminar on Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA), Mexico City, 2012
• Re-Boosting Growth: Overcoming Challenges to Measuring and Reducing Compliance Costs, Berlin, 2012
• Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) in the Czech Republic and Other OECD Countries, Prague, 2012
• The Role of Impact Assessments in Policy Making, Paris, 2011
• Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) in Russia, Moscow, 2011
• Workshop on Implementing Regulatory Impact Assessment in Russia: Expectations and Practical Steps, 2008
• Seminar on the Use of Regulatory Impact Analysis to Foster Economic Efficiency and Policy Coherence, 2003

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Country guidelines and reports

• Austria's regulatory impact assessment system, 2013
• Canada RIA guidelines
• European Commission Impact Assessment Guidelines
• Germany guidelines on the Identification and Presentation of Compliance Costs
• Ireland RIA guidelines
• Israel RIA Handbook
• Scotland Better Regulation guidance
• United Kingdom, Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, guidance related to regulatory impact assessments
  

 

For further information, please contact Daniel Trnka.

 

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