THE REGULATORY FRICTION INDEX (RFI-IA)

This paper introduces the Regulatory Friction Index (RFI-IA) — a first-generation quantitativeinstrument for measuring the ratio of administrative processing time to technical deployment timein service registration systems. Drawing on transaction cost theory (Coase, 1937; Williamson,1985), the RFI is designed as a comparable, replicable, and longitudinally trackable metric forinstitutional performance assessment across jurisdictions and sectors.The paper presents the formal definition, operationalization guidelines for both components(T_adm and T_tech), an interpretation framework with four threshold values, a compositeextension incorporating an Institutional Opacity Index (IOI), and illustrative calculations acrossfive sectors. The RFI is introduced as a first-generation heuristic indicator intended forcomparative testing; sector-specific adjustments and empirical validation are identified as nextsteps for framework development. v2: Instrument renamed to RFI-IA (Regulatory Friction Index — Instrumental Atavism) for disambiguation. No changes to methodology or formula. This is Article 2 of the Instrumental Atavism Research Series, building on Minoretskii (2026a). This research is developed within the framework of the pan-European SMINORA EcoTech initiative (EU Funding & Tenders Portal, Participant Identification Code: PIC 863672384).