This report looks beyond 2010 and presents policy options for administrative simplification that are in line with current trends and developments. It provides policy makers with guidance on the available tools and explains common mistakes to be avoided when designing, undertaking and evaluating administrative simplification programmes.

"Too much ‘red tape’!" is one of the most common complaints from businesses and citizens in OECD countries. Administrative simplification is a regulatory quality tool to review and reduce administrative and regulatory procedures. It has remained high on the agenda in most OECD countries over the last decade and continues to be so. Countries’ efforts to strengthen their competitiveness, productivity and entrepreneurship during the current recession have made simplification efforts even more urgent.

Table of Contents
Acronyms
Executive Summary
Introduction
Chapter 1. New Developments in Administrative Simplification
Rapid spread of the use of the Standard Cost Model
Other trends in administrative simplification
Does public perception reflect results?
Notes
Chapter 2. Future Policy Directions for Administrative Burden Reduction
Policy Option 1. Broaden and widen administrative simplification projects
Policy Option 2. Quantify, but cautiously
Policy Option 3. Integrate administrative simplification with other regulatory reforms and e-government
Policy Option 4. Create efficient institutional structures, involve sub-national governments
Policy Option 5. Strengthen communication with stakeholders
Policy Option 6. Assess programmes’ “value-for-money”
Notes
Conclusions
Bibliography
Annex A. Policy Options
Annex B. Evaluating Administrative Burden Reduction Programmes and their Impacts
Tables
B.1. Organisational arrangements and methodological approaches to evaluation: An overview of the conceptual and practical steps
B.2. Forms of policy evaluations
B.3. Empirical techniques used in the United Kingdom measurement
B.4. Evaluating the Commission’s use of the SCM in impact assessment
B.5. Ensuring a continued, multi-actor evaluation effort