Comparing the content of regulatory impact assessments in the UK and the EU

This paper examines the content of impact assessments (IAs) in the European Commission (EC) and the UK for the period 2005 to 2010. We coded 477 IAs for the UK and 296 for the EC, using a detailed scorecard. The findings suggest that IA is not a perfunctory activity in the European Union and the UK. The breadth of consultation and economic analysis has improved steadily across the years, arguably as a result of learning and regulatory oversight. The UK and the EC are strikingly similar on a number of dimensions (such as economic analysis and identification of costs and benefits). However, the IAs of the EC seem to pay more attention to social and environmental dimensions. The conclusions reflect on the implications of the authors' findings for current policy discussions concerning regulatory quality and the role of regulatory oversight bodies.