Chapter 9 Enabling regulatory reform

This chapter examines the role of institutions in the promotion of regulatory reform, exploring the link between the existence of specific institutional arrangements and the endorsement of timely and appropriate practices of regulatory management. It highlights how the widespread use of regulatory impact assessment has facilitated the introduction of mechanisms of systematic consultation with those affected by reforms. The chapter then discusses the role played by regulatory management in improving the overall functioning of the government and in ensuring the coherence of its action, thus providing a wider perspective for the definition of reform opportunities. The chapter’s last section provides an overview of the literature developed to explain the importance of international organisations in supporting reforms, underlining in this framework the specific methods used by the OECD. In particular, it draws attention to the role of the OECD in improving the regulatory environment in member countries. It emphasises that the OECD does not rely on conditionality in order to promote reform but on “soft methods of co-ordination”, which represent a slower, but not necessarily less effective method of disseminating best practice and supporting the timely adoption of reform initiatives.