This working paper looks at the emerging discipline of Rules-As-Code - which examine the interaction of law and regulation with Digital Systems.
It’s a big field - the new paper from the cross-disciplinary CoHuBiCol project (Counting as a Human Being in the Era of Computation Law) is probably the best introduction to it.
In my working paper I focus on one particular aspect - work elimination by using Rules-As-Code transpilation techniques to generate comprehensive test suites for certain sub-sections of the statute book: tax, benefits and regulation.
There is compelling evidence that these test forms can generate huge savings of project management overhead - and the paper steps through some of the work necessary to explore this.
The UK state has failed miserably to deploy new regulatory capacity since Brexit (not really surprising in that one of the main political drivers was a return to a simpler age, pre-the regulatory state which largely dates from the early 1970s, coincidently when the UK joined the EU). Since 2016 the UK has failed to implement border controls, a new chemical regulatory regime, and new quality checkmark and a range of other required regulatory regimes.
The current Scottish administration has the creation of a new Scottish state, with its own currency, economic and regulatory infrastructure
This paper explores techniques that could reduce the cost and timescales of addressing both these challenges.
January is the month I take my recommendations out on tour - with a series of in-person Chatham House events in Scotland on Thursday 18th and a pop-up at UKGovCamp on Saturday 20th. Come along I would love to speak with you.
Gordon, do you know Catherine Howe? https://www.curiouscatherine.info/2024/01/07/fantasy-system-what-would-you-dream/ I think you might have interests in common.