The Importance of Regulatory Policy

Abstract

Regulation is of critical importance in shaping the welfare of economies and society. The objective of regulatory policy is to ensure that regulation works effectively, and is in the public interest. Regulatory policy, a comparatively young discipline, is taking shape in different ways across OECD members and beyond. Different pathways, however, are tending towards common objectives. Many OECD countries did not have a regulatory policy ten years ago; nearly all do now. There is growing interest in using regulatory policy to address broad societal concerns such as distributional equity and sustainable development. There is no room for complacency for the work which lies ahead to transform regulatory policy into a truly effective support for meeting public policy goals.

Keywords: Regulation; Regulatory Policy