RIA: Communication

1
RIA Communication building credibility

• Aleš Pecka
• Department of Regulatory Reform and Public
  Administration Quality
• Ministry of Interior, Czech Republic

2
Introduction to Regulatory Reform (RR)

• Introduction brought by the OECD Regulatory
  review in 2001
• Benefit of the outside international pressure
• Report 2001 discussed by the Government
• Recommendation Elaborate guidelines and
  implement the Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA)
  into the decision-making process

3
Implementation of RIA

• Pilot phase (2005-2006)
• Application of the Draft Guidelines for
  conducting the impact assessment on selected
  legislative proposals
• Draft guidelines updated with the involvement of
  the representatives of businesses (Council for
  Development of Business Environment)
• On the basis of the gained experience Guidelines
  reviewed and completed by the end of December
  2006

4
Implementation of RIA

• Guidelines for Regulatory Impact Assessment
  adopted by Government in August 2007
• Full impact assessment obligatory to all drafts
  of primary and secondary laws from November 2007
  elaborated on the level of Government

5
What is RIA about?

• Implementation of RIA is not only about rules and
  institutions (nevertheless important) it is
  (also) a change of culture within the public
  administration
• keep explaining and get everybody on the board.
• Identify particular groups key players
• choose the right communication strategy towards
  each group

6
Challenge How to explain RIA?

• RIA a tool for transparency
• Impact assessment study represents a clear guide
  and provides executive summary for everybody (not
  only politicians or public servants) as regards
  reasoning of the chosen option and nature of a
  proposal
• the benefits outweigh the costs (avoiding
  wrong, costly decisions)
• The change can only be gradual, the snowball
  effect helps...
• Demonstrate the foreign examples, bring the
  experts from abroad to seminars and let them
  present and discuss the concrete issues

7
To whom shall we communicate?

• Politicians
• Public servants
• Legislators
• Social partners and NGOs
• Media

8
Politicians

• Politicians are important and indispensable
  target group to be involved
• RIA does not replace political decision-making,
  it provides only well-founded information for
  decision-makers
• Therefore demonstrate the real benefits
  examples of successful impact assessments from
  the pilot phase
• Hold seminars with foreign partners

9
Public servants

• Anticipate natural resistance
• We will have to do much more work within the
  same given time, deadlines remain
• RIA is the concept imported from abroad and not
  fitted to our domestic conditions
• We have been doing well already in our way
• Moreover
• Traditional legal approach
• Primary focus on the quality of legal texts

10
Public servants

• At first sight, new and more demanding work for
  public servants, but in a number of cases public
  servants actually do already make partial impact
  assessment RIA only provides for the structure
  and the systematic approach
• RIA is therefore for their use, to help them!
• Provide training (to learn the methodology)
  useful input from academics (tutors)
• Simulation of real cases, discussion and
  exchange of views within internal seminars

11
Legislators

• Most difficult ones
• However, proper RIA can help them in decision
  making choice of the most suitable options
• Assure contacts with foreign legislators
• Again, good example policy works
• Presentation of good RIAs with draft laws
• Positive example to follow Government evaluates,
  so can do the legislators

12
Social partners and NGOs

• Evident beneficiaries RIA is the tool to involve
  them in the decision-making process from its very
  beginning
• They are to fulfill a very important role
• Must be ready for collaboration and data
  provision to the legislators provision of
  necessary background information and input from
  practice
• Make them aware of the this role
• Invite them to the seminars with politicians
  creation of joint pressure
• Involve them in horizontal bodies

13
Media

• RIA a difficult topic to cover
• Usually perceived as another bureaucratic tool
  and procedure
• Useful to target information campaign mostly
  towards economic journals (most familiar with the
  concept of impact assessment)
• Present RIA as a tool, which would help, if used,
  to avoid bad, e.g. costly decisions from the
  recent history in your country

14
RIA Consultation

• Important element in the RIA process
• How to approach the stakeholders? Do we know
  them?
• Create a supportive tool! Database of consulted
  organisations in the Czech Rep.
• Accessible on the special website
• Contacts to the stakeholder organisations
  structured according to the particular topics,
  areas and economic sectors
• Voluntary registration

15
How to learn Public Administration to consult?

• Methodology of Public Consultation (2007)
• Government launched the testing phase lasting
  till the end of 2008
• Involvement of public on selected legislative and
  non-legislative proposals
• Lessons learned input into the review of the
  Methodology by the end 2008 and its planned final
  approval

16

• Thank you for your attention!

Aleš Pecka e-mail ales.pecka_at_mvcr.cz