A report compiled to inform the upcoming review of the Responsibility Deal says there’s “very little evidence” as to whether voluntary agreements between governments and businesses are more effective than compulsory approaches.
The “scoping review” from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine also says some of the most effective voluntary agreements include “costly sanctions” for non-compliance.
The review looked at a range of voluntary schemes between governments and businesses across the world and concluded that they can be an “effective policy approach for governments to take to persuade businesses to take actions”.
However, it says there’s “very little evidence on whether, and in which circumstances, voluntary agreements are likely to be more (cost-) effective than compulsory approaches”.
It adds: “It is important to note that some of the most effective voluntary agreements are those with substantial disincentives for non-participation and costly sanctions for non-compliance. Many countries are moving towards these more formal and even legally-binding approaches to voluntary agreements.”
The report says “some of the most effective agreements do not appear to be particularly ‘voluntary’”. “Some of the most effective are those with substantial and financially important incentives and sanctions for non-participation or nonfulfilment of targets.”
The report says the Responsibility Deal appears to be a “hybrid” of a completely voluntary agreement and one that uses the threat of future regulations or taxes as a motivation to participate.
Earlier this week the Department of Health said it had funded a team of academics to evaluate the impact of the Responsibility Deal. Researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine are to undertake individual interviews and case studies with Responsibility Deal partners and “other key stakeholders” to assess how it has been working.
The Responsibility Deal, which was launched in March 2011, has seen businesses agree to a series to measures to improve the health of the population. For the pub and restaurant sectors, this has included reducing the salt content on meals, including calorie counts on menus, and raising awareness of alcohol unit content of drinks.
A number of operators have said they find it difficult to comply with some of the measures, such as reducing salt levels in products such as bacon and butter.
