Red tape: Redefinition and reconceptualization based on production theory

Abstract

The focus of red tape research so far, has been on public organizations, their organizational rules, and on managers’ perceptions of red tape. In the literature, it is suggested that red tape research should focus more on red tape that can be considered as existing objectively and on the compliance burdens of stakeholders such as businesses and citizens. For this purpose, the current definitions of red tape are too narrow or hardly applicable in practice. In this present article, a proposal for the redefinition and reconceptualization of red tape based on microeconomic production theory is submitted. The proposed definition brings red tape theory closer to the administrative policy topics and is therefore a good starting point for researching them. It is likely to be well suited for identifying red tape from an economic perspective in case studies and to initiate rule removal and change. The definition might also be appropriate to provide respondents in empirical studies with a basis for their assessment of red tape.