Recent Regional Developments in Red Tape Reduction – A Content Analysis of Web of Science Journals
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4335/15.3.433-457(2017)Keywords:
red tape, administrative burden, simplifications, regional cooperation, interdisciplinarity, content analysis, good governanceAbstract
The economic crisis has led to slowdowns in both national and wider regional economies. A comparatively successful approach to mitigate its impacts is red tape or administrative burden reduction through procedural and other simplifications. This paper explores the relevant public policies examined in 70 scientific articles, classified in the Web of Science under “red tape” or “administrative burden” and related terms and published between 2013 and 2015. The study focuses on the understanding of red tape in terms of regional relevance, dominant doctrinal and disciplinary framework and types of cooperation in research, in an attempt to identify inter-boundaries dialogue as a means of cross-regional learning. The research findings show a prevailing field role of economic, managerial and procedural measures since red tape reduction is most often considered within organizational performance and the neo-liberalistic doctrines. Moreover, cooperation between regions is low, the geographic focus is rather limited, and there is little evidence of collaboration between scholars and practitioners as well as a low practical applicability of research. This means that more holistic policies to withstand economic slowdowns and pursue sustainable societal development are less effective than they would be if they were grounded in inter-regional cooperation and good governance interdisciplinarity.
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Braunerhjelm, P., & Eklund, J. E. (2014) Taxes, tax administrative burdens and new firm formation, Kyklos, 67(1), pp. 1-11.
Berelson, B. (1952) Content analysis in communication research (Glencoe: Free Press).
Bevir, M. (ed.) (2011) The SAGE Handbook of Governance (Los Angeles: Sage).
Bewer, G. A. & Walker, R. M. (2010) Explaining Variation in Perception of Red Tape: A Professionalism-Marketization Model, Public Administration, 88(2), pp. 418–438.
Bozeman, B. (1993) A Theory of Government “Red Tape”, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 3(3), pp. 273–303.
Bozeman, B., & Feeney, M. K. (2011) Rules and Red Tape: A Prism for Public Administration and Research (Armonk, NY: Sharpe).
Buckley, A. P. (2016) Using Contribution Analysis to evaluate small & medium enterprise support policy, Evaluation, 22(2), pp. 129–148.
Butler, C., Doherty, A.M., Finniear, J. & Hill, S. (2015) Alone in the back office: the isolation of those who care to support public services, Work employment and society, 29(4), pp. 624–640, https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017014538339.
Carausan, M. V. (2016) Better Regulation A Renewed Impetus of the European Union, Journal of Public Administration, Finance and Law, 8, pp. 114–121.
EC, European Commission (2014) Cutting Red Tape in Europe. available at: http://ec.europa.eu/smart-regulation/refit/admin_burden/docs/08-10web_ce-brocuttingredtape_en.pdf (April 12, 2017).
Gallo, C., Giove, M., Millard, J., & Valvik Thaarup, R. K. (2014) Study on eGovernment and the Reduction of Administrative Burden (Brussel: EC).
de Jong, G., & van Witteloostuijn, A. (2015) Regulatory Red Tape and Private Firm Performance, Public Administration, 93(1), pp. 34–51, 10.1111/padm.12098.
Hammerschmid, G., Van de Walle, S., Andrews, R., & Bezes, P. (eds.) (2016) Public Administration Reforms in Europe, The View from the Top (Cheltenham, Northampton: Edward Elgar).
Jomini Stroud, N. & Higgins, V. (2011) Content analysis, In: Sloan, D., & Zhou, S. (eds.). Research methods in communication, 2nd edition (Northport, AL: Vision Press), pp. 123‐143.
Kalaš, L., & Bačlija, I. (2015) Podjetniški vidik administrativnih ovir [Entrepreneurial Aspect of Administrative Barriers], Journal of economic and business sciences, 1, pp. 3–17.
Kaufmann, W., & Feeney, M. F. (2014) Beyond the Rules, The Effect of Outcome Favorability on Red Tape Perceptions, Public Administration, 92(1), pp. 178–191, https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12049.
Kirkpatrick, C. & Parker, D. (eds.) (2007) Regulatory Impact Assessment: Towards Better Regulation? (Cheltenham, Northampton: Edward Elgar).
Kovač, P., & Bileišis, M. (eds.) (2017) Public Administration Reforms in Eastern European Union Member States, Post Accession Convergence and Divergence (Vilnius, Ljubljana: Mykolas Romeris University, Faculty of Administration), available at: http://ebooks.mruni.eu/product/public-administration-reforms-in-eastern-european-union-member-states-postaccession-convergence-divergence (April 2, 2017).
Kovač, P., & Jukić, T. (2017) Declarations and reality of Europeanized public administration in Eastern Europe: journals content analysis in Slovenia and Croatia, Transylvanian Review of Administrative Sciences, 2017(50E), pp. 127–145.
Li, M.-H., & Feeney, M. K. (2012) Adoption of Electronic Technologies in Local U.S. Governments: Distinguishing Between E-Services and Communication Technologies, American Review of Public Administration, 20(10), pp. 1–17.
Marinescu, C. (2013) Institutional Quality of the Business Environment: Some European Practices in a Comparative Analysis, Amfiteatru Economic,15(33), pp. 270–287.
Meuwese, A. (2008) Impact Assessment in EU Lawmaking (Wolters Kluwer).
Moynihan, D., Herd, P., & Harvey, H. (2015) Administrative Burden: Learning, Psychological, and Compliance Costs in Citizen-State Interactions, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 25(1), pp. 43–69, https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muu009.
OECD (2004) Principles of Corporate Governance (Paris: OECD).
OECD (2007) Cutting Red Tape - Comparing Administrative Burdens across Countries (Paris: OECD).
OECD (2008) Building an Institutional Framework for Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA), Guidance for Policy Makers (Paris: OECD).
OECD (2012) Cutting administrative burdens on citizens: implementation challenges and opportunities (Budapest: OECD).
Oplotnik, Ž., Križanič, F., & Kolšek, V. (2016) Factors of government bond yields during and after the last financial crisis, In: Benazić, M., Božina, M., & Gimilgliano, G. (eds.) The EU economic environment post-crisis: policies, institutions and mechanisms (Pula: Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, Faculty of Educational Sciences), pp. 163–172.
Pollitt, C. & Bouckaert, G. (2011) Public Management Reform, a Comparative Analysis: New Public Management, Governance, and the Neo-Weberian State (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
Radaelli, C. & de Francesco, F. (eds.) (2007) Regulatory Quality in Europe – Concepts, Measures and Policy Processes (Manchester, New York: Manchester University Press).
Raadschelders, J. C. N. (2011) Public Administration. Interdisciplinary Study of Government (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
Serban-Barbu, S. (2014) Public Administration Regulations Codification in the European Union, Comparative Law Review, 17, pp. 82–93, https://doi.org/10.12775/CLR.2014.004.
Stemler, S. (2001) An Overview of Content Analysis, Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 7(17), pp. 137–146.
TUC (2006) Slaying the Red Tape Myths, available at: https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/extras/redtape.pdf (April 4, 2017)
Virant, G., & Kovač, P. (2010) Reducing administrative burdens as part of the “better regulation” programme – The case of Slovenia, Lex Localis – Journal of Local Self-Government, 8(4), pp. 369390.
Ziller, J. (2008) Administrative simplification through a general law on administrative procedures for the protection of citizens' rights and economic development: the key issue of legal certainty and predictability in administrative performance. Ankara, Turkey, 2627 March 2008, pp. 112.
Venice Commission (2011) Stocktaking on the Notion of “Good Governance” and “Good Administration”, Study 470/2008¸ CDL-AD(2001)009 (Strasbourg: Council of Europe).
World Bank (2016) Doing Business (Paris: World Bank).
Vojinović, B., Prochniak, M., & Oplotnik, Ž. (2015) International aspects of fiscal convergences on regional and local level, Lex Localis – Journal of Local Self-Government, 13(3), pp. 827–438, https://doi.org/10.4335/13.3.827-847(2015).
Published
2017-06-28
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