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Over 60 countries have now adopted various forms of regulatory impact analysis (RIA) as a mandatory step in developing new legal norms. The rapid spread of RIA is a revolutionary governance reform, comparable to the rapid spread of modern budgeting methods a century earlier to provide a new framework for assessing and managing the costs and benefits of government spending. Given the high costs of off-budget government costs through regulation, the adoption of RIA can be seen as the “second step” in moving toward a more complete accounting of government costs, and better management of government services.

The teething problems of RIA are immense. Regulatory impact analysis (RIA) is a vital government tool proven in some countries, but in many others RIA is still working through its implementation problems. JC&A is committed to helping countries implement practical RIA. We believe that RIA helps countries meet the challenges of modern regulation in ways that no other method can.

This page contains RIA documents from many countries. If we are missing a RIA-related document from your country, please send it to scottjacobs@regulatoryreform.com and we will review it for inclusion.

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Global Update on RIA

Uzbekistan Prepares for RIA

The Republic of Uzbekistan is making steady steps to introduce RIA techniques for regulations that affect private businesses. In December 2014, the Government enacted Decision N 328 “on Measures aimed at introduction of the impact assessment system of legal acts on entrepreneurial activities”. The Government is backed by international development partners, among them UNDP Uzbekistan.

Newest RIA! Zambia Adopts RIA in 2014

The Zambian Business Regulatory Act of 2014 requires, for the first time in Zambia, RIA for regulatory acts affecting business activity. The Act sets up the Business Regulatory Review Agency to review proposals for new regulations, and also requires public consultation for at least 30 days on new proposals.

Eurasian Economic Union requires RIA for business regulation

Supporters of RIA have succeeded in including a requirement for RIA for business rules adopted by the new Eurasian Economic Commission working under the authority of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union (concluded on May 29, 2014). Annex No. 1 to the EEC Treaty establishes a mandatory procedure for RIA . Further details are being worked out through early 2015.

Major study on Analytical Methods of RIA in EC

A team led by Andrea Renda has released a study that reviewed different methods for estimating costs and benefits within the European Commission’s integrated approach to impact assessment. The study was intended to define various types of costs and benefits, identify different methods of estimation and provide an overview of their strengths and weaknesses. "Assessing the Costs and Benefits of Regulation" was prepared by the Centre for European Policy Studies and Economisti Associati. It concluded that “cost-benefit analysis has a significant potential to inspire efficient regulatory choices, but is subject to several critiques, related to its relative ignorance of distributional impacts, its reliance on income as a proxy for utility and happiness, and a number of other underlying assumptions…” Click Here For Download