Sensemaking
#14Key Findings
Czechia falls into the middle ranks internationally (rank 14) in the area of sensemaking.
The public administration lacks a systematic approach to innovation, with developments occurring sporadically and based on political priorities. Evaluations indicate that employees are generally not motivated to propose new ideas, although this varies across departments.
Regulatory impact assessments are in theory required for all binding regulations proposed by ministries or other central government agencies. An RIA unit provides guidance in this process. However, are large share of government proposals are in practice exempt from these requirements.
Sustainability checks are part of every RIA, but are not very comprehensive. Evaluation of existing regulations’ effectiveness is sporadic. A new program extending the RIA system to include ex post evaluation has been approved, but has not yet yielded results.
The public administration lacks a systematic approach to innovation, with developments occurring sporadically and based on political priorities. Evaluations indicate that employees are generally not motivated to propose new ideas, although this varies across departments.
Regulatory impact assessments are in theory required for all binding regulations proposed by ministries or other central government agencies. An RIA unit provides guidance in this process. However, are large share of government proposals are in practice exempt from these requirements.
Sustainability checks are part of every RIA, but are not very comprehensive. Evaluation of existing regulations’ effectiveness is sporadic. A new program extending the RIA system to include ex post evaluation has been approved, but has not yet yielded results.
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To what extent can the central government foster the capacity for strategic foresight and anticipatory innovation within its organization?
10
9
9
The central government can foster the capacity for strategic foresight and anticipatory innovation within its organization.
8
7
6
7
6
Most of the time, the central government can foster the capacity for strategic foresight and anticipatory innovation within its organization.
5
4
3
4
3
The central government is rarely capable of fostering the capacity for strategic foresight and anticipatory innovation within its organization.
2
1
1
The central government is not capable of fostering the capacity for strategic foresight and anticipatory innovation within its organization.
In June 2022, the Ministry of the Interior published an analysis assessing the potential of the Czech public administration to foster and support innovation. This analysis followed an OECD declaration on May 22, 2019, regarding innovation in the public sector. The declaration included examples from various countries, highlighting good practices. The study is part of implementing the Concept of Client-Oriented Public Administration by 2030, which the government approved in 2020 with EU funding support. The concept aims to enhance the client orientation of public administration by achieving five (notable but potentially ambiguous) strategic goals:
Accessible and quality public administration services
An efficient public administration system
Effective public administration institutions
Competent human resources
An informed and participating citizenry (Mugglin et al. 2022: 21)
The Ministry of the Interior regularly analyzes innovations in public administration. An OECD evaluation of progress was generally positive but noted that more work is needed. It found that participation in policymaking was weak, rarely extending beyond prominent individuals. The evaluation recommended experimenting with ways to involve citizens more broadly, such as a central interactive portal.
The evaluations indicate that Czech public administration lacks a systematic approach to innovation. Innovations are developed sporadically, primarily depending on political priorities. Employees are generally not motivated to propose new ideas and ways of working, limiting the emergence of innovations. However, the situation varies across different segments of public administration.
The annual report on public administration for 2022 noted that half of the central organs had implemented some form of innovation, a higher figure than in previous years, although data only go back to 2020. It remains unclear what qualifies as an innovation and whether many of those recorded had a significant impact.
Citation :
https://mmr.gov.cz/getmedia/91ad1297-8c2d-46c4-a50f-1646149c39aa/Koncepce-Klientsky-orientovana-verejna-sprava-2030_vynatek.pdf.aspx?ext=.pdf
https://www.mvcr.cz/clanek/hodnoceni-vykonu-verejne-spravy-v-cr-a-doporuceni-pro-budouci-strategicky-rozvoj.aspx
https://www.mvcr.cz/clanek/vyrocni-zpravy-o-stavu-verejne-spravy.aspx
Accessible and quality public administration services
An efficient public administration system
Effective public administration institutions
Competent human resources
An informed and participating citizenry (Mugglin et al. 2022: 21)
The Ministry of the Interior regularly analyzes innovations in public administration. An OECD evaluation of progress was generally positive but noted that more work is needed. It found that participation in policymaking was weak, rarely extending beyond prominent individuals. The evaluation recommended experimenting with ways to involve citizens more broadly, such as a central interactive portal.
The evaluations indicate that Czech public administration lacks a systematic approach to innovation. Innovations are developed sporadically, primarily depending on political priorities. Employees are generally not motivated to propose new ideas and ways of working, limiting the emergence of innovations. However, the situation varies across different segments of public administration.
The annual report on public administration for 2022 noted that half of the central organs had implemented some form of innovation, a higher figure than in previous years, although data only go back to 2020. It remains unclear what qualifies as an innovation and whether many of those recorded had a significant impact.
Citation :
https://mmr.gov.cz/getmedia/91ad1297-8c2d-46c4-a50f-1646149c39aa/Koncepce-Klientsky-orientovana-verejna-sprava-2030_vynatek.pdf.aspx?ext=.pdf
https://www.mvcr.cz/clanek/hodnoceni-vykonu-verejne-spravy-v-cr-a-doporuceni-pro-budouci-strategicky-rozvoj.aspx
https://www.mvcr.cz/clanek/vyrocni-zpravy-o-stavu-verejne-spravy.aspx
Graph View
To what extent does the government conduct high-quality impact assessments to evaluate the potential effects of prepared legislation before implementation?
10
9
9
The government draws on high-quality RIAs to assess the potential impact of prepared legislation before implementation.
8
7
6
7
6
In most cases, the government draws on high-quality RIAs to assess the potential impact of prepared legislation before implementation.
5
4
3
4
3
The government rarely draws on high-quality RIAs to assess the potential impact of prepared legislation before implementation.
2
1
1
The government does not draw on high-quality RIAs to assess the potential impact of prepared legislation before implementation.
According to government legislative rules and partly based on the implementation of EU law, regulatory impact assessments (RIA) are applied in principle to all generally binding regulations prepared by ministries and other central administrative authorities. A standard RIA methodology, refined over time, guides this process. Ministries submit RIA reports to the RIA unit at the Office of the Government for formal review, followed by more extensive scrutiny by the independent RIA board. RIA commission members also participate in discussions on selected regulatory drafts during Legislative Council of the Government meetings. The RIA unit provides methodological guidance and organizes workshops and seminars for civil servants who prepare impact assessments. Internationally, the RIA Commission participates in the activities of the RegWatchEurope platform.
In practice, much government legislation is exempt from RIA assessment if it does not change regulations or is not proposed by the government. In 2022, 32 out of 108 draft laws were investigated, with 18 proposed laws and two government decrees subjected to a full assessment. Fourteen of these laws were approved, often with many criticisms and suggestions for improvement. In six cases, the verdict was that the draft should be dropped. There is no comprehensive report on subsequent actions following criticisms or proposals to drop a draft. However, past practice shows little significant change to legislation that is finally passed.
In January 2023, the government approved draft amendments to the government legislative rules, the General Principles for Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA), and the Government Rules of Procedure. The revisions mainly concern Family Impact Assessment, Territorial Impact Assessment, and Digital Impact Assessment. The changes for family impact place greater emphasis on this area, requiring a separate box to be filled in and an assessment of impacts on different kinds of families and children’s rights. The territorial theme involves identifying specific impacts on specific regions and determining whether a new regulation conflicts with regional strategies for sustainability, including climate change policies and air pollution goals, as referenced in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These additions should be treated with equal weight to any other item in an RIA. The changes took effect on February 1, 2023, and were implemented after March 31, 2023. The RIA Commission met eight times in both 2022 and 2023. In the government’s legislative plan for 2024, 48% of items indicated an obligation to carry out an RIA.
Citations:
https://ria.vlada.cz/
In practice, much government legislation is exempt from RIA assessment if it does not change regulations or is not proposed by the government. In 2022, 32 out of 108 draft laws were investigated, with 18 proposed laws and two government decrees subjected to a full assessment. Fourteen of these laws were approved, often with many criticisms and suggestions for improvement. In six cases, the verdict was that the draft should be dropped. There is no comprehensive report on subsequent actions following criticisms or proposals to drop a draft. However, past practice shows little significant change to legislation that is finally passed.
In January 2023, the government approved draft amendments to the government legislative rules, the General Principles for Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA), and the Government Rules of Procedure. The revisions mainly concern Family Impact Assessment, Territorial Impact Assessment, and Digital Impact Assessment. The changes for family impact place greater emphasis on this area, requiring a separate box to be filled in and an assessment of impacts on different kinds of families and children’s rights. The territorial theme involves identifying specific impacts on specific regions and determining whether a new regulation conflicts with regional strategies for sustainability, including climate change policies and air pollution goals, as referenced in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These additions should be treated with equal weight to any other item in an RIA. The changes took effect on February 1, 2023, and were implemented after March 31, 2023. The RIA Commission met eight times in both 2022 and 2023. In the government’s legislative plan for 2024, 48% of items indicated an obligation to carry out an RIA.
Citations:
https://ria.vlada.cz/
To what extent does the government effectively incorporate sustainability assessments within the framework of RIAs?
10
9
9
High-quality sustainability assessments are incorporated within regulatory impact assessments.
8
7
6
7
6
High-quality sustainability assessments are, for the most part, incorporated within regulatory impact assessments.
5
4
3
4
3
High-quality sustainability assessments are rarely incorporated within regulatory impact assessments.
2
1
1
Sustainability assessments are not incorporated within regulatory impact assessments.
Sustainability checks are an integral part of every RIA, but they are not very comprehensive (Cvachovcová and Polášek 2020). The checklist requires a response to the question of whether there are effects on social, economic and
Environmental issues and the impacts they have are indicated through a set of 2016 amendments to the RIA guidelines, which specified how to assess or quantify these effects. Relevant ministries refine these criteria on an ongoing basis. Changes made in 2023, referred to as Effective Regulatory Impact Assessment, strengthened sustainability checks.
Citations:
Cvachovcová, P., and M. Polášek. 2020. “Možnosti zahrnutí perspektivy udržitelného rozvoje do systému.”
hodnocení dopadů v ČR. Prague. https://www.cr2030.cz/zavazky/wpcontent/
uploads/sites/4/2021/03/Moz%CC%8Cnost i-zahrnuti%CC%81-perspektivyudrz%
CC%8Citelne%CC%81ho-rozvoje-do-syste%CC%81mu- hodnocen%C3%AD-dopadu%CC%8A-v-
%C4%8CR_final.pdf
Environmental issues and the impacts they have are indicated through a set of 2016 amendments to the RIA guidelines, which specified how to assess or quantify these effects. Relevant ministries refine these criteria on an ongoing basis. Changes made in 2023, referred to as Effective Regulatory Impact Assessment, strengthened sustainability checks.
Citations:
Cvachovcová, P., and M. Polášek. 2020. “Možnosti zahrnutí perspektivy udržitelného rozvoje do systému.”
hodnocení dopadů v ČR. Prague. https://www.cr2030.cz/zavazky/wpcontent/
uploads/sites/4/2021/03/Moz%CC%8Cnost i-zahrnuti%CC%81-perspektivyudrz%
CC%8Citelne%CC%81ho-rozvoje-do-syste%CC%81mu- hodnocen%C3%AD-dopadu%CC%8A-v-
%C4%8CR_final.pdf
To what extent do government ministries utilize ex post evaluations to improve existing policies?
10
9
9
High-quality ex post evaluations serve as the basis for making adjustments to public policies.
8
7
6
7
6
High-quality ex post evaluations frequently serve as the basis for making adjustments to public policies.
5
4
3
4
3
High-quality ex post evaluations rarely serve as the basis for making adjustments to public policies.
2
1
1
High-quality ex post evaluations are not utilized to make adjustments to public policies.
Evaluations of the effectiveness and efficiency of existing regulations are usually ad hoc and rarely used. Evaluations of the effects of regulatory changes have not been part of the RIA process but can be carried out by individual departments. However, this has only been done systematically for the use of EU funds, and even then with shortcomings, as revealed by an NKÚ investigation covered under Effective Public Auditing. There is a need to increase analytical capacity, strengthen data sharing across government, more rigorously assess the impact of regulation RIA, and improve the ex post evaluation of public policy documents and legislation. Several ministries and agencies have started to address these gaps. In June 2023, the government approved the so-called “Ex Post RIA” to complete the existing RIA system. This has yet to show any results. From 2025, the review of the effectiveness of legislation in Czechia should have a new, uniform format.