Competition soliciting ideas for reducing bureaucracy - Citizens as experts on what affects their lives

It is easy to complain about bureaucratic red tape; what we need now are constructive ideas to remedy the situation. Everyone is eligible to participate in the "Best Idea for Red Tape Reduction Award," which recognizes original, innovative and practical ideas for eliminating bureaucratic hurdles.

Better Regulation - an urgent issue for Europe

Over the past few years, the European Commission has begun to focus on the important goal of improving and simplifying the regulatory environment in Europe.

Conference: Bureaucracy reduction, administrative reform, civic participation - Convergent or competing goals?

In recent years, much has been done to reduce bureaucracy. By promoting efforts to measure administrative costs, Germany's government and the European Commission have made a significant initial contribution to eliminating red tape for the business community and the general public. Yet a number of key challenges remain and must be addressed if regulatory quality in all of its aspects is to improve over the long term...

International Regulatory Reform Conference

In order to stimulate cross-cutting debate on better regulation and regulatory reform, the Bertelsmann Stiftung is organizing the International Regulatory Reform Conference (IRCC) in Berlin from December 9 to 11, 2007. The goal of the conference is to bring together experts in the area of regulation and "better legislation," to provide an international overview of current developments and to increase awareness of best practices in a manner that is both systematic and efficient. The IRRC will offer 16 discussion rounds addressing four topics: measuring and reducing red tape, evidence-based policymaking, governing regulatory reform, and better regulation innovation.

New possibilities for measuring internal administrative costs

The possibilities for applying the Standard Cost Model are anything but exhausted. A recent feasibility study on using SCM shows: The method is very well suited for measuring information-related costs within the public sector. Using SCM it is possible to completely capture, analyze and optimize entire process chains. Both the study and an Excel-based tool can be downloaded here.

66th German Jurists Forum in Stuttgart - Panel discussion "Employment contract law - Structural options under discussion"

On September 19, 2006, from 7:30 to 10:30 pm, a panel discussion will be held in conjunction with the 66th German Jurists Forum in Stuttgart. Interested experts in the field are invited to hear judiciary, academic, political and business representatives discuss the draft paper for uniform employment contract law. For further information and to register, please contact angela.pilgrim@bertelsmann.de; Jörg Habich - Tel. +49 (0)5241/81 81 277

Pilot project measures administrative costs of implementing EU law

In Germany, the accusation is often heard that when EU guidelines are translated into national law, policymakers take the opportunity to tack on additional measures. The inclusion of such supplemental regulations is known as "goldplating" and is the reason that the Bertelsmann Stiftung began using the Standard Cost Model to measure the costs of complying with bureaucratic requirements. The results have been surprising.

States identify administrative cost drivers

Bertelsmann Stiftung project for applying SCM Scan launched

The Bertelsmann Stiftung launched a state-level project to transfer the Dutch SCM Scan to Germany with a kick-off workshop on May   23  in Gütersloh. Hesse and Lower Saxony are working with the Bertelsmann Stiftung to test this approach and identify the administrative cost drivers within their legal systems. Hesse, Saarland and Saxony will follow suit in a few weeks.

Five states measure administrative burden in continuing education laws

An SCM project at the Bertelsmann Stiftung poses methodological challenges

The state laws governing continuing education and educational leave are complex and differ widely among the five participating states: Berlin, Brandenburg, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The project objective: to demonstrate the value and transferability of the tool for measuring administrative costs developed in the Netherlands, and to make any necessary methodological adjustments.

Legal norms are worth a lot. Until they're not.

When EU directives are implemented it is not uncommon for additional regulations to be tacked on-a practice referred to as the gold-plating effect. In order to create an international comparison of the effects of this with regard to the resulting costs, a cooperative project was launched on February 17 in Copenhagen. The Bertelsmann Stiftung, along with the Dutch Ministry of Finance, the Danish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Ramboell Management, will measure and compare how various EU regulations are implemented and which costs are incurred in each country.

State building regulations in comparison

The first pilot project for transferring the Standard Cost Model to Germany was launched on January 16 with a kick-off workshop in Hamburg. In 2005, the Bertelsmann Stiftung invited state-level representatives to an informational meeting in the Netherlands, where the Standard Cost Model was developed and has been in general use since 2003. Since then the states of Baden-Württemberg, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Saarland have been using the approach in cooperation with the Bertelsmann Stiftung to measure the costs of reporting requirements as mandated by their building codes.

Dismantling bureaucracy begins with measuring costs

A lot of attention is being paid to the Standard Cost Model in Europe, a tool designed to measure administrative costs that was developed in the Netherlands, where it has been widely implemented. This model makes businesses' administrative costs resulting from reporting requirements transparent and helps introduce corrective legislation. The Netherlands model is both an effective and long-term response to the problem of tracking cost levels. (Press release not available in english.)

Political lobbies prevent effective efforts at dismantling bureaucracy.

The introduction of a "sunset clause" for statutes and ordinances is overrated as an effective way to dismantle bureaucracy. This is the conclusion of a recent Bertelsmann Stiftung study, which was developed by the University of Potsdam together with RAND Europe. (Press release not available in english.)

Germany before the election: Dismantling bureaucracy

Excessive bureaucracy is significantly slowing down growth and employment in Germany. Previous efforts to lessen the unnecessary burden on businesses and the public have fallen short. Germany lacks a clear vision of effective, modern regulation and a concerted, sustainable effort. It is high time for Germany to catch up with what other countries have been doing for years. When incoming funds level off or even decline, the state's only option is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government action thereby improving the overall quality of government. (Press release not available in english.)