New report proposes legislative changes

A report on regulatory reform work has led to international discussions and will likely influence the work of the Swedish government.

Johan Eklund, Ph.D. and Assistant Professor in Economics at Jönköping International Business School, has been in charge of a report to the Swedish agency for Growth Policy Analysis, on behalf of the Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications. The report covers a large empirical and theoretical analysis of the government’s regulatory reform work. It also contains proposals for legislative changes.

The Swedish government has been working since 2007 to simplify business regulations. The goal has been to reduce administrative costs due to government regulations by 25% by the autumn of 2010. The result, however, is calculated to be closer to 7%.

Parts of the report have been discussed at the World Bank, the Office of Management and Budget in the U.S. and the Treasury Board of Canada. The report will be presented to the Swedish Government on 8 March and will likely influence the on-going regulatory reform work.