Regulatory Burden from a Different Perspective
On Wednesday 25 January 2017 Esmeralda Vergeer will defend her doctoral thesis Regeldruk vanuit een ander perspectief (Regulatory burden from a different perspective). The defence will start at 16.15 hrs, at the Academy Building of Leiden University, Rapenburg 73. The supervisor of the research is Professor W.J.M. Voermans.
Reducing regulatory burden has been part of Dutch government policy for a number of decades. Various programmes have been launched at both national and local level aimed at reducing the amount of regulations, making regulations more efficient and improving coordination in the monitoring of regulations.
Government progress reports show that the approach has proved successful: billions in savings have already been achieved for the business sector. But entrepreneurs themselves say that they have not experienced much change. The Netherlands Court of Audit noticed in 2006 that the successes were not experienced as such in society.
In her doctoral thesis, Esmeralda Vergeer investigates the phenomenon of regulatory burden. She charts how the approach to regulatory burden by authorities in the Netherlands has developed throughout the years, and also looks at the scientific approach to regulatory burden. Various definitions for regulatory burden are given, though none of the definitions remains undisputed. Vergeer focusses on entrepreneurs and observes that they have assigned their own, totally new definition to regulatory burden. They distinguish three factors which influence how regulatory burden is experienced: cost, feasibility and perceived benefit. The research offers new insights into how a perceivable reduction in regulatory burden can be achieved for entrepreneurs.
Esmeralda is a dual PhD candidate at Leiden Law School and receives support from the interfaculty Leiden University Dual PhD Centre.
On Thursday afternoon 16 February 2017 the Dual PhD Centre of Leiden University will organise a network event (in Dutch) on regulatory burden in the business sector, in collaboration with VNO-NCW West and the Ministry of Economic Affairs .
Policy makers and policy administrators, academics, interest groups and entrepreneurs are all very welcome to take part in the discussion on regulatory burden today. The views of politicians will also be represented. Members of the Dutch Lower House Mei Li Vos (PvdA), Kees Verhoeven (D66), Bart Snels (GroenLinks) and Jock Geselschap (VVD) will attend the event.