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Regulatory Impact Assessments
This online course will enhance your ability to design, manage and communicate the results of ex ante IAs conducted by your organisation. It will answer the following questions:
- How can an impact assessment (IA) system be developed
- 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?
Participants will understand the concept of a high-quality ex ante IAs. They will gain a good understanding of the needs and uses of ex ante impact assessments, as well as build their knowledge and skills in the main methods used in IAs (e.g. cost–benefit analysis). Insight is provided into good practices through the lessons learned from implementation of the European Commission Better Regulation Guidelines and Toolbox as well as other actors (OECD, individual countries, etc). Finally, participants will be able to gain an understanding how IAs can influence the next steps in the policy cycle. The concepts are discussed through theory, examples and practical exercises, to ensure an interactive session.
What will you learn
- How to manage an ex ante Impact Assessment of a legal act from concept till submission, and how to consult and engage with stakeholders for the purpose of the IA;
- The analytical steps of an IA (defining the problem, setting objectives, developing policy options, measuring impacts, selecting a preferred policy option, monitoring and evaluation);
- 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 it is applied in practice
- The enablers and barriers for setting up an IA system: how an effective IA system can be developed in national administrations; best practices to learn from; pitfalls to avoid.
Course methodology/highlights
The two-half-day 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 and group exercises.
- Evaluate the pros and cons of different IA methodologies and tools, and select the ones most relevant to your case.
- Build a methodological checklist to help the development of an IA from concept till submission
- 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.
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.
This course on Regulatory Impact Assessments is one of 5 courses we are currently offering in the context of the Better Regulation agenda.
Are you interested in taking a different course, please click below:
Introduction to the Better Regulation Agenda | Regulatory ex post Evaluations | Stakeholder Consultation in the Context of Better Regulation | Introduction to Strategic Foresight – From Anticipating Surprise to Robust Strategy
Public officials, civil servants, policy consultants and policy analysts who work in government or parliamentary institutions, in EU Member States or other countries that seek to embed evidence in the decision-making process, such as the following:
- better regulation committees / programmes;
- centres for research and analysis;
- bureaucracy reduction agencies;
- budget offices;
- consultancy firms involved in better regulation
- 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.
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Our experts
Programme
08.45 | Opening of on-line platform |
09.00 | Welcome and introduction to the course Presentation of lecturer and seminar objectives Wim Marneffe, Impact Assessment Expert, Associate Professor at Hasselt University (BE) |
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. |
10.00 | Coffee break |
10:15 | 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 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 look at how the EC system ensures transparency through stakeholder consultations. We will discuss how 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. At this point, we will also present how the European Commission has applied and interpreted the Guidelines in the past seven years |
12.00 | Coffee break |
12:15 | Group exercise The exercise is followed by a debriefing that establishes the framework for the following sessions |
13.00 | End of the first day |
08.45 | Opening of on-line platform |
Regulatory ex ante impact assessment (part II) | |
09.00 | Methods used in impact assessment In this session we will introduce the various methods used in the analysis of impacts. We will cover several market methods (cost–benefit analysis (CBA), cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), multi-criteria analysis (MCA), standard cost model (SCM)), as well as non-market methods (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 |
11.00 | Coffee break |
11:15 | Quality control – role and practice in and outside 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, the findings of audits conducted by the Court of Auditors and lessons that can be learned by Member States from the EU. We will also have a look at some best practices outside of EU. |
12:00 | Break |
12:05 | 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. |
12.50 | Wrap-up and evaluation |
13.00 | End of the online course |