As more countries in Europe and elsewhere have begun to consider regulatory reform issues, common challenges have emerged, as well as a desire to share best practices. It is our hope that an international conference on this important topic will further facilitate the diffusion of regulatory and public management knowledge. The conference is an outgrowth of the Bertelsmann Foundation’s “Agenda: Modern Regulation” project (http://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/cps/rde/xchg/SID-0A000F14-BB92AAFE/bst_engl/hs.xsl/prj_5036.htm), which was launched two years ago with the goal of helping public sector agencies to reduce red tape and implement enduring better regulation strategies. The Bertelsmann Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Germany.
