How can regulatory systems be assessed? The case of earthquake preparedness in Israel

The aim of evaluating a regulatory system is to enable governments to improve the ways in which they function, regulate, and prioritize attention and resources to the system as a whole. Academic and professional literatures provide useful principles with which to proceed. However, off-the-shelf methods for assessing regulatory systems with generic characteristics are scarce. The Regulatory System Scan and Assessment methodology was designed for this purpose and applied to the current regulatory framework that governs Israel’s actions to plan—mitigate, prepare, respond, and recover—from the damage which may be caused by a severe earthquake. Although there is oftentimes widespread agreement concerning the existence of problems in a regulatory system, there is rarely consensus or a thorough understanding of what those problems are. Only when problems are identified can policy makers create viable and effective solutions. Development of the Regulatory System Scan and Assessment is a step toward addressing this challenge.