Checklists: tools for managing regulatory systems Communicating values and policies of government Fostering public sector responsiveness to political priorities Establishing an orderly process Improving the quality of regulation Improving the design and implementation of regulatory programmes Promoting cultural change and education Facilitating managerial oversight of the regulatory system Who uses checklists? Regulatory ministries and departments Senior decision-makers, such as ministers or cabinets Central agencies and ministries Ministries of justice or legal branches of ministries Advisory bodies Parliaments and legistatures Public interest groups, industry groups, lobbyists Elements of regulatory checklists The role of government as regulator The need for government action The preferred form of action and, if relevant alternative forms of action The appropriate level or division of government to take the action The costs, benefits and effects of regulation Costs to those affested by regulation Benefits of regulation The distribution of effects and identify of those affected Indirect and secondary effects of regulation Costs to government, including administration and enforcement costs Regulation as a legal instrument of government The legal authority for the regulation The language and form of the regulation Substantive criteria for the exercise of discretion in regulation Criteria for procedural safeguards Intrusiveness in private life Enforcement feasibility Compliance strategies The period of time during which the regulation will be applicable Regulation in the context of government and international policies The relationships and compatibility of regulatory action to existing government rules or policies The relationship and compability of regulatory action to international norms or agreements Resource implications Conclusions Common principles Alternate sources of checklists A flexible policy tool The need for political and senior level bureaucratic commitment Targeting the audience The merits of supplementary guides The need for checklist guardians Training and skills development A dose of one's own medicine Anexx Austria - 1990 guidelines for drafting and formulating laws Canada - guiding principles of the federal regulatory policy Canada - citizen's code of regulatory fairness Canada - federal regulatory policy European Communities - council resolution of 8 june 1993 on the quality of drafting of community legislation Finland - proper drafting of norms a manual for administrative authorities Germany - checklist for proposed legal provisions at federal level ( the "the blue checklist") Japan - agreement on the examination and periodic review of new and existing permissions, authorisations,etc Japan - 1988 principles of deregulation Netherlands - directives on legislation Spain - questionnaire for the evaluation of legislative proposals laid bafore the council of ministers of Spain United Kingdom - Revised guidance on preparing compliance cost assessments United States - executive order No. 12291 of february 17, 1981 "federal regulation" United States - regulatory policy guidelines