Policy design, impact assessment and evaluation

Ex Ante Impact Assessments in the Context of Better Regulation: Where Are we Heading? (+ Introductory Module)

Learn how to design, manage and communicate the results of high-quality ex ante impact assessments.

About this course

How can an impact assessment (IA) system be developed or how can an IA system be optimised?
How can you assess the effectiveness and efficiency of policy proposals?
How can you ensure high-quality ex ante impact assessments?
How can you use an impact assessment as a supporting tool for decision-making?

This online course will answer all the above questions and specifically, it will enhance your ability to design, manage and communicate the results of ex ante IAs conducted by your organisation.

Introductory module: Learn about key concepts of better regulation and how they are applied across the policy cycle. Learn how the better regulation tools are used in practice in the European Commission (EC). Discuss how Member States (MSs) implement the better regulation agenda and gain insight into the challenges and pitfalls of different modalities.

Core module: Learn how to ensure high-quality ex ante IAs. First, gain a good understanding of the needs and uses of ex ante impact assessments. Enhance your knowledge and skills in the main methods used in IAs (e.g. cost–benefit analysis). Gain insight into good practices through the lessons learned from implementation of the better regulation guidelines and toolbox. Importantly, learn about how to ensure the quality of your IAs through lessons learned from the EC as well as MSs. Finally, gain an overview of what happens after the IA is published and how IAs can influence the next steps in policymaking.

If you are confident of all the basics, and do not feel that you need any further training on it, you can register only for the Course.

What you will learn in this course:

the policy cycle, and what better regulation means in theory and practice;
how to manage an ex ante impact assessment of a legal act, and how to consult and engage with stakeholders;
the analytical steps of an IA (defining the problem, setting objectives, developing policy options, measuring impacts, etc.);
the state-of-the-art methodologies and tools to assess the impacts;
how to adjust your expectations and choose the right shortcuts when selecting the best possible methodological approach (e.g. qualitative vs quantitative);
how the European Commission system ensures transparency and quality of the IA work (stakeholder consultation, Regulatory Scrutiny Board);
why IA has become a key tool for the development of EU policy and how to engage with the process;
the enablers and barriers for setting up an IA system: how an effective IA system can be developed in a Member State; how MSs assess policies and legal acts; the common pitfalls, the good practices.

Course methodology/highlights

The course will be led by experts who have decades of research and practical experience in IA in the EU context and beyond.

The course delivery will combine interactive presentations showcasing practical examples, quick polls to consolidate concepts and group exercises.

Evaluate the pros and cons of different IA methodologies and tools, and select the ones most relevant to your case.
Commission and manage meaningful IAs and ensure the proper dissemination of results.
Better integrate IA into the policy and programming cycle so it is used in practice.
Recognise and identify what makes a good quality IA.

After course support

You will be given the slides as well as additional learning material and online resources to help you apply your new knowledge and skills to your work.

Public officials, civil servants, policy analysts who work in government or parliamentary institutions, in EU Member States or candidate countries, such as the following:

better regulation committees / programmes;
centres for research and analysis;
bureaucracy reduction agencies;
budget offices;
councils for regulatory impact assessments.

Online Course
For this online course we make use of Zoom

Programme Organiser
Ms Eveline Hermens
Tel: + 31 43 3296259
e.hermens@eipa.eu

Discounts
EIPA member fee
EIPA offers a discount to all civil servants working for one of EIPA’s supporting countries, and civil servants working for an EU institution, body or agency

Who are the supporting countries?
Civil servants coming from the following EIPA supporting countries are entitled to get the reduced fee: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden.

For all other participants, the regular fee applies

Early bird discount
The early bird discount is not cumulative with other discounts or promo codes, except for the EIPA member fee.

Who are the supporting countries?
Civil servants coming from the following EIPA supporting countries are entitled to get the reduced fee: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden.

For all other participants, the regular fee applies.

Confirmation
Confirmation of registration will be forwarded to participants on receipt of the completed online registration form.

Payment
Prior payment is a condition for participation.

Cancellation policy
For administrative reasons you will be charged € 50 for cancellations received within 7 days before the activity begins. There is no charge for qualified substitute participants.

EIPA reserves the right to cancel the activity up to 1 week before the starting date. In that case, registration fees received will be fully reimbursed.

Our experts

See profile

Project leader

Programme

08.45	Registration of participants
9.00	Welcome and introduction to the course Presentation of lecturers and course objectives Nikolaos Sarris, Evaluation Expert and Miranda Lovell Prescod, Research Assistant EIPA
	Better regulation policy cycle – introductory module
09.15	Introduction to the better regulation policy cycle – theory, principles and standards Better regulation is about policymaking in an open and transparent manner. The first session of this training will cover the key concepts and principles of better regulation). We will introduce the policymaking cycle and its sequential phases. We will showcase how the policy cycle is implemented in the European Commission and by way of illustration we will follow the trajectory of a real-life legal act from planning to implementation.
10.00	Phases of policy cycle In this session, we will present the key concepts and principles of regulatory impact assessments. We will touch upon the methodologies and tools in line with current practices in the European Commission. We will introduce the principles of stakeholder consultation and briefly visit the main concepts of regulatory evaluation.
10.45	Break
11.00	Implementing the BR agenda in Member States: The principle of subsidiarity Regulatory impact assessments result in policy proposals that should conform with the principle of subsidiarity. In this session we will examine how this principle could become a workable tool for Member States, to bring Europe closer to the governments and citizens. This requires greater involvement by national, regional and local stakeholders, and a better understanding of the relevance of the principle for all of them. Gracia Vara Arribas, EU law and Governance expert, EIPA
12.00	Good practices in MSs – common pitfalls and lessons learned In this session, we will present how Member States at governmental or parliamentary level apply the better regulation agenda in practice. We will highlight a few examples of interesting tailor-made features embedded within MSs regulatory systems. Moreover, we will consider the common pitfalls throughout the policy cycle.
12.50	End of introductory module

09.00	Welcome and introduction to the course Presentation of lecturer and course objectives Wim Marneffe,Impact Assessment Expert, Associate Professor at Hasselt University
	Regulatory ex ante impact assessment (part I)
09.15	*Why do we need ex ante* impact assessments? An overview** This session sets the ground for the remainder of the course. We will look at what works and where challenges remain. As a starting point we will discuss the need for impact assessments. We will look at the evolution from environmental and social IAs to integrated and, presently, regulatory impact assessments. We will then consider the shortcomings that IAs are trying to fix through discussing market and regulatory failures. Furthermore, we will discuss when policy intervention is justified and whether IAs really work by assessing evidence from the EU, US, Canada and the OECD. Finally, we will discuss the challenges that remain.
10.15	Break
10:30	*Ex ante* impact assessments in the European Union In this session we will discuss why the impact assessment has become a key tool for the development of EU policy and how to engage in the process. We will examine the steps the European Commission follows when developing IAs by referencing the their better regulation guidelines and toolbox. As such, we will cover the necessary analytical steps of an IA such as defining the problem, setting objectives, developing policy options and measuring impacts. We will then touch upon how the EC system ensures transparency through stakeholder consultations. We will discuss how the EC’s IAs are perceived by experts as well as how citizens are involved in the process. We will look at the lessons learned from the public through their feedback on specific IAs on the one hand, and on the procedure of IAs on the other.
12.00	Break
12:15	Group exercise
13.00	End of the day

	Regulatory *ex ante* impact assessment (part II)
09.00	Methods used in impact assessment In this session we will introduce you to the various methods used in the analysis of impacts. We will cover cost–benefit analysis (CBA), cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), multi-criteria analysis (MCA), standard cost model (SCM), stated and revealed preference, and counterfactual analysis. We will highlight the role of sensitivity analysis and how to collect data for IAs.
10:00	Group exercise
10:45	Break
11:00	Quality control – role and practice in the EU This session will discuss the mechanisms for quality control of IAs. Here we will discuss the role of the Regulatory Scrutiny Board, the use of stocktaking exercises, reports from the Court of Auditors and lessons that can be learned by Member States from the EU.
12:00	Break
12:15	Monitoring and implementation In this final session we will discuss the steps after the IA is published: implementation, enforcement, monitoring and ex post evaluations. We will highlight some good practice examples from Member States and future steps – lessons from the OECD.
13.00	End of the course

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