By contrast with other decision methods which tend to be opaque to outsiders, RIA exposes the merits of decisions and the impacts of actions. For this reason, RIA is, in many countries, closely linked to processes of public consultation. Consultation, in fact, is often built around RIA documents that state the goal and effects of proposed rules. Incorporation of RIA into consultation has enhanced the transparency of regulatory processes, provided quality control for impact statements, and improved the information on which decisions are based. In some countries, such as Australia, RIA is justified in terms of its utility in informing the consultation process as well as a decision tool in its own right.
Transparency is also a key value under-lying the development of the international trading system.
Here, too, RIA can play an important role. Improve government accountability RIA can improve the involvement and accountability of decision-makers at ministerial and political levels through reporting of more extensive information and demonstrating how government decisions benefit the society. Many RIA programmes are meant to enable ministers to understand and take personal responsibility for regulatory decisions. Indeed, in some countries ministers are required to directly approve the regulatory analyses produced under their jurisdiction. There is no model of the ideal RIA programme.