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OECD Reviews of Regulatory Reform: Sweden 2007
Achieving Results for Sustained Growth
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- Foreword
- Table of Contents
- Summary
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Part I. Regulatory Reform in Sweden
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Chapter 1. Performance and Appraisal
- Introduction
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Section 1. The Macroeconomic Context
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A generally successful and well managed economy
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Factors driving economic performance
- + An economy largely structured around big manufacturing and ICT companies
- + Significant international trade, supported by a strong policy of market openness
- The ICT industry: a double-edged sword for the economy
- + Generally high employment rates but low labour market flexibility
- A highly credible monetary policy
- A financial sector which helps to underpin the economy
- + High R&D expenditure which promotes innovation
- + But entrepreneurship is muted
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Public policy goals and the Swedish governance model
- + Ambitious public policy goals and the importance of social cohesion
- Developing a strong economy in support of public policy goals
- A system of governance which reflects and underpins these goals
- + A political and societal culture which is strong on transparency, consensus and integrity
- + A clear distinction between strategic policy-making and implementation, reflected in the institutional and rule-making structure
- + A strong role for local government in the implementation of nationwide policies
- Developments and challenges to the Swedish governance model
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Future economic challenges
- Ensuring that the current strong performance can be sustained
- Growing pressures on Sweden’s growth capacities and its generous welfare system from an ageing population
- Improving performance: addressing weaknesses in the labour market
- + Improving performance: securing the sustainability of public finances
- + The government’s strategy for growth and renewal
- Notes
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A generally successful and well managed economy
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Section 2. Regulatory Reform: its Contribution to Performance so far
- + Regulatory reform and strengthening the foundations for growth
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The Swedish experience: the significant contribution of reform to the turnaround of the economy in the 1990s
- + Significant progress in product market deregulation, which has delivered a considerable “productivity dividend”
- But competition remains inadequate in some important parts of the economy
- The picture for infrastructure sectors is mixed
- + Successful policies and reforms to promote international market openness
- + The issue of the labour market
- There is still room for improvement in the public sector
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The development of a regulatory policy and capacities to promote reform
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Section 3. Regulatory Reform: Emerging Challenges
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Where and how can regulatory policy help meet economic and public policy goals?
- Two linked challenges: improving the performance of the public sector, and developing a more resilient economy
- The importance of meeting environmental goals efficiently
- The critical contribution which local government needs to make in meeting these challenges
- All policy making can benefit from the application of regulatory quality principles
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Improving the performance of the public sector
- + Developing a more resilient economy: encouraging entrepreneurial activity
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Developing a more resilient economy: further reform of key sectors
- The construction sector remains relatively closed
- Food retailing also suffers from a lack of competition
- Tackling heavy regulation of the rental housing market, which hinders mobility
- The need to complete and reinforce the infrastructure liberalisations of the 1990s
- Updating the regulatory framework for telecommunications to sustain a high performance
- Addressing issues in the electricity market to boost performance
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Meeting environmental goals efficiently
- Notes
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Where and how can regulatory policy help meet economic and public policy goals?
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Section 4. Moving Forward: Regulatory Capacities for Promoting further Reform
- + Creating a momentum for reform
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Institutional capacities to promote reform
- The issue of fragmentation and its impact on efficiency
- + Developing a stronger focal point for regulatory policy within government
- The issue of co-ordination between national and local levels of government - undermining capacities to meet public policy goals
- + Capitalising on the role of Parliament and the National Audit Office in promoting reform
- Strengthening the contribution to pro competitive reform that can be made by the competition authority
- Reviewing the capacities of independent regulators
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Tools for the promotion of regulatory quality and reform
- + Developing a stronger RIA process to support a shared regulatory policy
- + Identifying further opportunities to benchmark activities and learn from best practice
- + Meeting environmental goals: designing efficient and effective tools
- + Sustaining creativity and diversity in Sweden’s regulation for the environment
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Taking account of the EU in regulatory policy
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
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Chapter 1. Performance and Appraisal
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Part II. Regulatory Policies and Outcomes
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Chapter 2. Regulatory Governance
- Introduction and context
- + Regulatory policies and institutions
- Co-ordination between levels of government: national-EU
- + Transparency and consultation
- Alternatives to regulation
- + Regulatory Impact Analysis
- + Building regulatory agencies
- + Keeping regulation up to date and reducing administrative burdens
- Conclusions
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Policy options
- 1. Strengthen co-ordination and capacities and clarify roles among bodies responsible for regulatory reform.
- 2. Set up an advisory body for regulatory reform to raise awareness at the political level.
- 3. Streamline the current RIA system and improve its quality control.
- 4. Continue efforts on administrative simplification and SME policy, improving the use of ICT mechanisms.
- 5. Reinforce efforts in the measurement of administrative burdens.
- 6. Strengthen the governance of sectoral economic regulators.
- Notes
- Bibliography
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Chapter 3. Competition Policy
- Introduction and context
- + Competition law content and related issues
- + Competition policy institutions and enforcement
- The limits of competition policy: exclusions and sectoral regimes
- + Competition advocacy and policy studies
- Conclusions
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Policy options
- 1. Confer powers to decide fines to the competition agency.
- 2. Strengthen the independence of the competition agency and the Market Court.
- 3. Strengthen sanctions for serious violations of competition law.
- 4. Strengthen compulsory consultation with the competition agency.
- 5. Find an organisational structure for the competition agency that matches new and enhanced powers.
- Bibliography
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Chapter 4. Market Openness
- Introduction and context
- The policy framework for market openness: the six efficient regulation principles
- + Transparency
- + Non-discrimination
- + Avoiding unnecessary trade restrictiveness
- Encouraging the use of internationally harmonised measures
- Streamlining conformity assessment procedures through recognition of the equivalence of regulatory measures adopted by foreign countries
- Application of competition principles from an international perspective
- + Market openness and regulations in selected sectors
- Conclusions
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Policy options
- 1. Strengthen the regulatory impact assessment process, ensure more frequent analysis and oblige regulators to consider the regulatory footprint from a market openness perspective.
- 2. Promote the principles of mutual recognition in Europe and internationally and invest the resources necessary to ensure that administration and other entities responsible for their implementation are informed and comply with the principles.
- 3. Enhance transparency in the government procurement process by further improving the notification process, including more inte...
- 4. Modify the Planning and Building Act to ensure that competition aspects are taken into account, complementing the action by t...
- Notes
- Bibliography
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Chapter 5. Multi-level Regulatory Governance
- + Introduction and context
- + The regulatory policy framework for multi-level governance
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Regional and local regulatory institutions and tools
- + The food sector and multi-level regulatory governance
- + Conclusions
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Policy options
- 1. Strengthen co-ordination at the central level to take better account of sub-national impacts.
- 2. Integrate multi-level issues into the national regulatory policy framework, including RIA.
- 3. Determine capacity-building needs at sub-national level to improve regulatory practice, and explore areas where flexibility and innovation can be encouraged.
- 4. Provide comparative data and information on regulatory performance at sub-national levels.
- 5. Institute an annual multi-level regulatory forum.
- Bibliography
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Chapter 6. Environment
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Introduction and context
- + Regulatory policy and institutions
- + Regulatory instruments: overview
- + Climate and energy policy instruments
- Refunded emission payments in acid rain policy
- Environmental labelling and public procurement
- Chemicals policy and regulation
- Conclusions
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Policy options
- 1. Strengthen co-ordination of policy making across different government levels.
- 2. Ensure that transparency and consultation are safeguarded.
- 3. Remove unintended inconsistencies arising out of far-reaching policy reforms.
- 4. Institute a separation of responsibilities at the municipal government level.
- 5. Ensure consistency between ambient and emission standards.
- 6. If exemptions or waivers are granted ensure that the economic efficiency and environmental effectiveness of the measure is not undermined.
- 7. Seek to reduce the administrative burdens associated with permitting, particularly for SMEs.
- Bibliography
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Introduction and context
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Chapter 2. Regulatory Governance
This review analyses the Swedish institutional framework for better regulation. In recent years Sweden has made a remarkable recovery, benefiting from deregulation efforts undertaken in the early to mid 1990s. Sweden places a strong emphasis on high standards of social welfare and a strong governance framework, which foster consensus. To preserve its ambitious social and environmental goals, Sweden needs to maintain its strong economic performance. A number of challenges should be addressed, such as the labour market, the performance of the public sector and the strengthening of competition. Entrepreneurship also should be stimulated, and further efforts have to be made to reduce administrative burdens. To create momentum for reform, Sweden needs to promote a strategic vision, improve the process for impact assessment, and strengthen co-ordination between national and local levels of government. The benefits of reform need to be more widely understood by all stakeholders and citizens. Regulatory reform will help Sweden take advantage of globalisation and technological innovation, and meet the demands of citizens for high-quality public services. Sweden is one of many OECD countries to request a broad review by the OECD of its regulatory practices and reforms. This review presents an overall picture, set within a macroeconomic context, of regulatory achievements and challenges including regulatory quality, competition policy, and market openness. Its special focus is on regulatory governance across levels of government as well as environmental policy. The background material used to prepare this report is available at: www.oecd.org/regreform/backgroundreports In the same series: Canada Czech Republic Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Japan Korea Mexico Netherlands Norway Poland Russia Spain Switzerland Turkey United Kingdom United States
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Political Science > Political Process > General
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Publication year : 2007
License: All rights reserved ©
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