Regulatory reform explained

Regulatory reform concerns improvements to the quality of government regulation.

At the international level, the "OECD Regulatory Reform Programme is aimed at helping governments improve regulatory quality - that is, reforming regulations that raise unnecessary obstacles to competition, innovation and growth, while ensuring that regulations efficiently serve important social objectives".^[1]

Examples

Indonesia

The OECD produced a report in September 2012 reviewing Indonesia's regulatory reform programme, focusing on Indonesia's administrative and institutional arrangements for ensuring that regulations are effective and efficient.^[2]

United Kingdom

The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 aimed in part to "make provision for the reduction of legislative burdens".^[3] Part 5, "Reduction of legislative burdens", made provision for "sunset and review provisions" in secondary legislation, i.e.

• a power to review the effectiveness of the legislation within a specified period or at the end of a specified period
• provision for the legislation to cease to have effect at the end of a specified day or a specified period
• a power to consider whether the objectives which it was the purpose of the legislation to achieve remain appropriate and, if so, whether they could be achieved in another way.^[4]

The Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 sought to improve the regulation of businesses requiring certain environmental permits within Scotland whilst strengthening existing environmental protection.

United States

• Executive Order 12866 on Regulatory Planning and Review, amended by Executive Order 13422 of January 18, 2007
• The Office of Regulatory Affairs was established in 1980
• Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980
• H.R. 5 (bill), the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2017.^[5] Some policy advocates argue that this bill should "more aptly ... be named the 'Filthy Food Act'".^[6]

Notes and References

1. OECD, OECD Regulatory Reform Programme
2. http://www.oecd.org/gov/regulatory-policy/indonesia.htm Reviews of Regulatory Reform: Indonesia - Strengthening Co-ordination and Connecting Markets
3. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2013/24/pdfs/ukpga_20130024_en.pdf Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013
4. Section 14A of the Interpretation Act 1978, inserted by section 59 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013
5. https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/5 H.R.5 - Regulatory Accountability Act of 2017
6. [Center for Science in the Public Interest]