The Operation Of The Regulatory Reform Act 2001 A Progress Report

Follow-up to 3rd special report of session 2001-02 'The handling of regulatory reform orders' (HCP 1272) (ISBN 0215006054)

Government reply to 1st special report (HCP 908, ISBN 0215013646)

Follow-up to HCP 908 session 2002-03 (ISBN 0215013646) published November 2003

Government reply to 1st special report, session 2004-05 (HCP 273, ISBN 021502169X)

The European Union and its member states are investing in ambitious programmes for 'better regulation' and targets of regulatory quality. This book lifts the veil of excessively optimistic propositions covering the whole better regulation agenda. It provides an innovative conceptual framework to handle the political complexity of regulatory governance. It approaches better regulation as an emerging public policy, with its own political context, actors, problems, rules of interaction, instruments, activities and impacts.

This book analyses the role of the OECD in diffusing policy innovations. Through the case study of regulatory impact analysis (RIA), this study shows how transnational networks have an impact on national policy process. The analytical framework encompasses the institutional features as well as internal and international determinants of a policy innovation such as RIA. Drawing on original data sets, three empirical analyses assess to what extent government decisions to adopt, implement, and evaluate RIA was driven by the OECD. Transnational Policy Innovation argues that concepts of policy innovation diffusion provide a useful framework for understanding the dynamics of transnational governance. It shows that the OECD has been successful in framing and diffusing a template of evidence-based decision making. However, downplaying RIA as an instrument of political control has limited the influence of the OECD's peer review and comparative indicators on the administrative and institutional setting.

Special Report : Sessions 2003-04 and 2004-05, the work of the Committee, 18th report of session 2004-05, report with Evidence