Kaufmann, Wesley; Ingrams, Alex; Jacobs, Daan (2021). "Being Consistent Matters: Experimental Evidence on the Effect of Rule Consistency on Citizen Red Tape". The American Review of Public Administration. 51 (1): 28–39. doi: 10.1177/0275074020954250. ISSN 0275-0740. S2CID 225330022. This article is about the idiom referring to excessive bureaucratic regulation. For other uses, see Red tape (disambiguation). Red tape is often used interchangeably with regulation or compliance generally. In the context of political ‘wars on red tape’, commentary which focuses on the origins and purpose of regulation notes that regulation can arise from a number of sources. These can include responses to market failures or incidents, citizen pressure, and non-governmental organisation campaigns. A ‘war on red tape’ is therefore considered inherently political, and relates to different perspectives on the function of regulation, and of the role of the state in society and the appropriate relationship between government, business, and the community. [18] Verheugen, Günter (June 20, 2008). "Cutting redTape for Europe". Action Programme for Reducing Administrative Burdens in the European Union. European Commission Directorate-General Enterprise and Industry. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011 . Retrieved October 14, 2020.

It is generally believed that the term originated with the Spanish administration of Charles V, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, in the early 16th century, who started to use red tape in an effort to modernize the administration that was running his vast empire. The red tape was used to bind the most important administrative dossiers that required immediate discussion by the Council of State, and separate them from issues that were treated in an ordinary administrative way, which were bound with ordinary string. [5]Bhargava, Saurabh; Manoli, Dayanand (2015). "Psychological Frictions and the Incomplete Take-Up of Social Benefits: Evidence from an IRS Field Experiment". American Economic Review. 105 (11): 3489–3529. doi: 10.1257/aer.20121493. ISSN 0002-8282. Herd, Pamela; Moynihan, Donald P. (2019). Administrative Burden: Policymaking by Other Means. Russell Sage Foundation. p.22. ISBN 978-1-61044-878-9.

What is red tape? definition and meaning". Businessdictionary.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-09 . Retrieved 2012-10-09. Nisar, Muhammad Azfar; Masood, Ayesha (2022-06-28). "Are all Burdens Bad? Disentangling Illegitimate Administrative Burdens through Public Value Accounting". Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration: 1–19. doi: 10.1080/23276665.2022.2088581. ISSN 2327-6665. S2CID 250127477.Muylaert, Jolien & Decramer, Adelien & Audenaert, M.. (2022). How Leader’s Red Tape Interacts With Employees’ Red Tape From the Lens of the Job Demands-Resources Model. Review of Public Personnel Administration. 43. 10.1177/0734371X221087420. In the United States, cutting red tape was a central principle of a 1993 National Performance Review study requested by the Clinton Administration. [13] Red tape definitions [ edit ]