Giving Sisyphus a Helping Hand : Pathways for Sustainable RIA Systems in Developing Countries
Regulatory impact assessment is a tool used by governments to support evidence-based and coordinated policy making. This paper contributes to the debate on regulatory impact assessment in developing countries by addressing the lack of a systematic...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/691961521463875777/Giving-Sisyphus-a-helping-hand-pathways-for-sustainable-RIA-systems-in-developing-countries http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29494 |
| Summary: | Regulatory impact assessment is a tool
used by governments to support evidence-based and
coordinated policy making. This paper contributes to the
debate on regulatory impact assessment in developing
countries by addressing the lack of a systematic account of
reforms, and the lack of a comprehensive explanatory account
of reform outcomes. The study first maps developing
countries' regulatory impact assessment reforms between
2001 and 2016. In total, 60 reforms are identified. Reform
design is analyzed by measuring adherence to six
internationally recognized "good practices." The
study then assesses whether the reforms -- two years or more
after they were launched -- led to functioning regulatory
impact assessment systems. Of the 60 reforms, 20 led to
functional systems within two years of the conclusion of the
reform. Three reforms were too recent to be assessed. The
study shows that adherence to good practices is a necessary
but not sufficient condition for early success. Among the
six good practices, two are shown to be particularly
decisive for the success of regulatory impact assessment
reforms, namely, formal integration of regulatory impact
assessment in policy making and the presence of a regulatory
oversight unit. The second part of the study analyzes
regulatory impact assessment reforms that did not produce
early success despite adhering to good practices. The study
tests several hypothetical reasons for slow developments. It
points to the importance of donor flexibility and patience
and the need for building reform constituencies inside and
outside government. The traditional orthodoxy of regulatory
impact assessment reforms as an extension of red tape
reduction is challenged. The paper finally presents several
possible policy implications of the findings. |
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