Featured Content
Congressional Review Act
The CRA allows Congress to disapprove regulations issued by agencies and contains a lookback provision which, according to the 2020 House calendar, may put any rules issued by the Trump administration after May 19, 2020 in jeopardy.
Midnight Rulemaking
The final months of an outgoing presidential administration typically generate a significant amount of regulatory activity. This increased regulatory activity during the “midnight” period has been documented in every presidential transition since the Carter administration.
Our Latest Publications
Midnight in the Garden of Rules and Regulations | By: Susan Dudley in Forbes | December 2, 2020
Midnight regulation is upon us and it may be more chaotic than usual and not just because of Donald Trump’s personality. Since his presidency is ending after one term, his administrators may be more rushed than in previous transitions. On the other hand, career staff may hinder their efforts.
The Midnight Regulation Phenomenon | By: Susan Dudley | December 2, 2020
There is a trend across administrations, regardless of party, to increase regulatory activity during this time period. There is also, unfortunately, a decrease in the quality of corresponding regulatory impact analysis.
Regulation in the Biden Administration | By: Richard J. Pierce, Jr. | November 18, 2020
GW Law professor Richard Pierce discusses what to expect, and what not to expect, in regulatory policymaking during the Biden-Harris administration.
Milestones in the Evolution of the Administrative State | By: Susan Dudley | November 18, 2020
Dudley lays out the key developments in regulatory policy, and offers where she thinks we will go from here in this working paper forthcoming in Dædalus.
The Pen and the Phone in Transition | By: Susan Dudley in Forbes | November 17, 2020
Without a Democratic majority in the Senate, President-elect Biden may not be able to achieve policy goals through legislation, but, as long as he has a pen, he can accomplish a lot with presidential directives.
Roadmap to a Regulatory Reset | By: Susan Dudley in Forbes | November 5, 2020
While we don’t know the outcome of Tuesday’s election, the Biden team must be considering their options for reversing Trump regulatory actions if they win the White House. Here’s a roadmap to a regulatory reset.
DHS's Affidavit of Support on Behalf of Immigrants | By: Mark Febrizio | November 4, 2020
As crafted, the benefits of DHS’s NPRM are not likely to justify its costs.
Regulatory Impact Analysis in Brazil | By: Hamilton Cota Cruz | November 4, 2020
Hamilton is a GW Trachtenberg School alum who used his degree with a concentration in regulatory policy to help implement a significant policy change in Brazil.
Just how big a deal is this year's economics Nobel? | By: Jerry Ellig in The Hill | November 2, 2020
Paul Milgrom and Robert Wilson received the 2020 Nobel prize in economics for their work on auction theory, which the FCC utilized to design groundbreaking auctions of wireless spectrum.
Delivering the Goods | Hosted by the GW Regulatory Studies Center
We commemorate the 40th anniversary of surface freight deregulation with three panel discussions featuring first-hand accounts from individuals involved in the reforms and assessment from scholars who studied their effects.
Support the Center
Do you want better regulations? We can help YOU achieve that goal! The GW Regulatory Studies Center could not be here today without the generous support of individuals, foundations, and organizations around the world who actively donate resources to allow us to provide paid internships to promising students, host widely attended bipartisan events, and publish material on the most pressing issues in regulatory policy.
What We're Working On
USDA Reports
A series of Center reports as part of cooperative agreements with the US Department of Agriculture.
Regulators' Budgets
Analyzing regulatory policy through annual agency budgets.
Improving Policy
Congressional testimony and public interest comments to federal agencies by Center scholars.
COVID-19 and Regulation
The GW Regulatory Studies Center is actively compiling resources to better understand how COVID-19 is affecting the rulemaking process, and what the US federal government is doing in relation to the pandemic. Our COVID-19 and Regulation page provides resources that we consider helpful in understanding these changes. Learn more about the Columbian College's response and guidance on the CCAS COVID-19 Resources and Updates page.
Making A Difference
Cass R. Sunstein
Robert Walmsley University Professor, Harvard Law School
OIRA Administrator (Obama)
"The GW Regulatory Studies Center has done phenomenal work in cataloguing and analyzing reforms in regulatory policy...[it is] a national treasure."
Shawne McGibbon
General Counsel, ACUS
Graduate of GW Law
"The Regulatory Studies Center gives students hands on experience that I craved when I was in school. Programs like this are simply invaluable."
James Lankford
United States Senator from Oklahoma
"I am grateful for the non-partisan expertise and information that I can trust from the GW Regulatory Studies Center."
