Partner Network

Become a local partner

Bring the Bureaucratic Index to your country. Our methodology is fully transferable — and INESS will guide you every step of the way.

Partner Brochure 2026 Download the full partner brochure in Word format.
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What is the Bureaucracy Index?

Bureaucracy Index is a simple and transparent quantification of the proverbial "red tape" — discussed daily in the media, yet rarely measured in concrete terms.

It was introduced in 2016 in Slovakia by the Institute of Economic and Social Studies (INESS), with the goal of comprehensively mapping the bureaucratic burden facing SMEs and its real cost in time and money.

There are several existing competitiveness rankings that assess the quality of law enforcement, infrastructure and tax law from a business perspective. In the Bureaucracy Index, we decided to keep it down to earth. In collaboration with experts from different areas, we identified all the administrative tasks that the state requires from a model company and assigned each a time cost.

→ Our ultimate goal is to turn the Bureaucracy Index into an international tool for think tanks and advocacy groups focused on economic competitiveness.

The Index also spun off in 2022 to Latin America as The Index of Bureaucracy for Latin America, published by the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom in partnership with the Atlas Network. As part of dissemination efforts, the International Bureaucracy Day was established as a regular commemoration of the wasted resources and talent lost due to excessive bureaucracy around the world.

Why partner with us?

Value for your organization:

  • The Index distils red tape into a single number that's easy to communicate. The fictional SME framing makes abstract figures concrete and relatable.
  • It gives you a structured database of bureaucratic duties for SMEs in your country — useful for tracking regulatory change and informing small business owners.
  • It's a networking tool: you can offer business leaders partnerships or involve them directly in creating and promoting the Index.
  • It strengthens fundraising and can become the flagship of your competitiveness advocacy work.
  • It enables direct international comparison — putting your country's red tape burden in a broader context.

Step-by-step partner manual

0 — Get support from INESS

Your organization will lead the creation of your national Bureaucracy Index — but you won't be doing it alone. INESS will support you with methodological, communication, and strategic questions throughout.

→ Contact Martin Vlachynsky, Director of the Research Center for Competitiveness and Business Environment at INESS: martin.vlachynsky@iness.sk

1 — Resources

Constructing your national Bureaucracy Index is primarily an investment of time. Depending on your in-house expertise, you may need external specialists — accountants, lawyers, or business managers — to map duties and estimate durations.

→ Plan for roughly 40–80 hours in total. Strong internal knowledge of your country's business regulation can bring that closer to the lower end.

2 — Methodology

Two-step process:

  • Identify all bureaucratic duties relevant to the two model companies
  • Assign a time cost to each duty

Full methodology details are available on the Methodology page.

→ Join a growing network of researchers and help put a real number on red tape in your country!