Evaluating Laws and Regulations
The Case of the Chilean Chamber of Deputies
This report focuses on international practices of ex post evaluation, and particularly
on the current efforts to conduct ex post evaluation of laws in Chile. It is divided
in two main parts.
The first part of the report provides information and guidance, examples of practice
and references on the subject of ex post evaluation in OECD countries, particularly
in the Legislative area. It looks at the different definitions of, and motivations
for, undertaking evaluation. There is no single template for undertaking ex post legislative
evaluation. The objectives and methods to be used will depend on factors such as the
nature of the law to be evaluated and the parliamentary and governmental context in
which the evaluation takes place.
In the second part the report evaluates the current system and process of ex post
evaluation of laws in Chile. It discusses the efforts made by the recently established
Law Evaluation Department in the Chamber of Representatives, in the framework of the
law making process of the country. It revises the current practices in both branches
of government, executive and legislative, to conduct ex post evaluation of laws and
regulations, as well as the formal and informal mechanisms to prepare laws and regulations
and their possible ex post review. The paper revises as well the current programme
for law evaluation launched by the Chamber of Representatives and it analyses its
main components, in particular methodological approaches and inclusion of citizens‘
perceptions as a tool to increase transparency.
The report concludes with an assessment of the main challenges that the law evaluation
work is facing in Chile and makes some recommendations related to institutional, methodological
and governance issues.
Published on May 16, 2012Also available in: Spanish