Initial Situation/Problem Statement
The federal government aims to relieve businesses by reducing unnecessary bureaucracy. The current coalition agreement (p. 26) outlines the intention to "develop a systematic procedure for reviewing the bureaucratic effort of laws and regulations, involving stakeholders regularly (practice check)." Practice checks are currently perceived as an ex-post instrument that examines laws, regulations, directives, etc., for their practicality and may adjust them accordingly.
Research Objective/Approach
The project's goal is to develop such a methodology. To achieve this, existing concepts will be considered, critically examined, and further developed. The project explores the optimal participant group for a practice check, investigates the specific challenges that regulations pose for medium-sized businesses, and examines how existing (ex-ante) instruments such as the Small and Medium Enterprises Check can be meaningfully integrated into practice checks. The project will discuss the possibilities and limitations of this instrument, comparing it to other instruments that have been used thus far.
The IfM will provide supportive assistance for a practice check conducted by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) with a strong focus on medium-sized businesses. The insights from this practice check, the analysis of additional practice checks and similar instruments, along with findings from scientific studies, will be systematized to develop a universally applicable methodology or set of principles.