Author: Andreas Triantafyllidis
Rules as Code (RaC) transforms laws and policies into machine-consumable formats. This approach empowers governments and third parties to design and build compliant digital services for citizens, businesses, and other stakeholders. It bridges the gap between policy and technology, creating systems that are more transparent, efficient, scalable, compliant, and explainable.
RaC is not new in concept—every new application or digital service already translates laws into code. However, ad hoc and opaque methods introduce problems: μ
- Interpretation chaos: Multiple teams interpreting policies differently lead to inconsistencies and unintended outcomes.
- Limited transparency: Rules buried in programming code or proprietary systems result in “black-box algorithms” that hinder validation and accountability.
- Fragmented knowledge: Siloed approaches prevent the sharing of rules and insights across teams.
- Compliance-process overlap: Merging compliance and process rules reduces adaptability and collaboration.
These challenges slow innovation, waste resources, and diminish public trust.
The problem lies in the lack of a transparent, standardized process for converting policy into software. The intermediate steps—analyses, formalizations, and algorithm assumptions—are often hidden, leaving critical decisions opaque. Without a consistent framework, the resulting digital services fail to meet the demands of modern governance.
A Better Approach: Open RaC
An Open RaC framework addresses these issues by:
- Establishing a transparent and inclusive middle layer for analyzing and formalizing rules.
- Leveraging powerful and usable standards-based artifacts for cross-team alignment and collaboration.
Implementing governance structures to ensure ongoing accountability and compliance.
The Big Picture
RaC is more than a technical strategy—it’s a shift in how governments deliver public services. By adopting Open RaC, governments can reduce inefficiencies, drive innovation, and rebuild trust, creating efficient, equitable, and adaptable systems for all.