Business perceptions of regulatory burden

Abstract

Document submitted to the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The purpose of this project is to explore business perceptions of regulatory burden and to investigate the characteristics of the social processes that influence these perceptions. The project seeks to understand the process of communication of regulatory change and to establish how, and to what extent, the nature of media coverage can affect business’ perceptions of burden. Recent political comment has drawn considerable attention to the perception of regulatory burden in the UK. This has been intensified by the economic downturn and its impacts on business growth and survival. The debate surrounding regulatory burden on business has also been conducted in the media spotlight. This not only reflects the views of business but can also exercise considerable influence over the strength of feeling about this issue. The research methodology is designed to examine the general hypothesis that the manner in which regulatory changes are reported or communicated will tend to exaggerate the perception of regulatory burden on businesses. This assertion is tested using available evidence from existing research, supplemented by case studies and international comparisons based on secondary sources