Sääntelymaaltaan

Sääntelymaaltaan is a Finnish neologism used in public administration and regulatory studies to describe how regulation is perceived or presented in terms of color, tone, and visual framing. The term is informal and not a formal legal concept.

The word combines sääntely (regulation) with maaltaan, a suffix used to express 'in the color of' or 'by appearance', illustrating the idea that regulatory intensity or scope can be read from how it is framed.

As a heuristic, sääntelymaaltaan concerns three dimensions: stringency (how strict the requirements are), scope (which activities or sectors are covered), and procedural burden (compliance processes and costs). It emphasizes transparency and stakeholder perception.

Applications: used in comparing regulatory regimes, designing communications to the public, and assessing administrative burden in policy design.

Criticism: may oversimplify complex regulatory architectures; risk of equating aesthetic framing with actual policy impact; lacks standard definitions.

See also: Regulation; Regulatory impact assessment; Regulatory transparency.