Composite and decomposable indicators for evaluating RIA systems in practice: proposals for discussion and testing

This paper proposes a first attempt for the development of a statistical tool where basic measures and/or tests (i.e. individual indicators) are organised and grouped in composite indices addressing different dimensions within Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA). The latter can be variously combined, resulting also in more general, synthetic indicators, preserving the components’ constituent elements. Due to current limitations in information availability, weights for aggregation are left undetermined in practice; the same reason impacts on selection of elementary indicators and the shape of composites, so that appropriate methodologies ought to be applied to get to a fully operational stage. A derived frame is also proposed, limited to a monetary perspective on the overall performance of RIA national systems, by means of a handful of key indicators which are less dependent on issues of aggregation