Point/Counterpoint: Valuing Internalities in Regulatory Impact Analysis
In this Point/Counterpoint series of 4 articles in the new issue of the Journal of Policy Analysis & Management, Brian Mannix & Susan Dudley engage in a back-and-forth with Hunt Allcott & Cass Sunstein on the advisability of regulatory interventions based solely on "internalities," which Allcott & Sunstein define as "costs we impose on ourselves by taking actions that are not in our own best interest."
State Funeral Regulations: Inside the Black Box
This study estimates the effects of state regulations affecting funeral markets. It accounts for multiple major categories of regulations and demand inducement as well as direct price effects. While concurring with prior studies that find ready-to-embalm regulations increase funeral costs and decrease the percentage of cremations, this study finds that several other state regulations are associated with significantly higher receipts per death.
The Limits of Irrationality as a Rationale for Regulation
James Madison was speaking of the structural checks on governmental power when he wrote those words, but it is worth recalling his advice when we contemplate the role of benefit-cost analysis as a check on the unconstrained exercise of the government's regulatory powers, and the implications of the reality that people's behavior, both in and out of government, sometimes falls short of what we might incorporate into an economic model or hope for in a perfect world.
Recommendations for Improving the Regulatory Process
The George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center is pleased to respond to the request by Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Chairman Johnson, Ranking Member Carper, Subcommittee Chairman Lankford, and Ranking Member Heitkamp for recommendations for improving the regulatory process.
Why the Federal Government Struggles to Hire and Fire
Through evidence-based reforms, the government can foster a federal workforce that is even more productive and capable.
FAA's Proposed Rule: Operation and Certification of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems
The FAA suggests that this rule will be the first step in a long, complex path of integrating unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System. However, it will be a challenge for the Administration to ensure that this incremental approach occurs at a pace that closely mirrors market and technological changes.
Vague Net Neutrality Rule Impedes Innovation
FCC's recent order imposing common carrier and net neutrality obligations on broadband Internet access providers creates a complex new regulatory structure.
DOL's Proposed Rule: Discrimination on the Basis of Sex
The DOL Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) enforces Executive Order 11,246 (Executive Order), a 1965 order that prohibits Federal contractors and subcontractors and federally assisted construction contractors from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin and requires them to take affirmative action to prevent discrimination based on these protected categories.
Does Reducing Ozone Really Improve Human Health?
EPA recently concluded that current NAAQS standards do not fully suffice to protect public health. Does causal evidence support this conclusion?
CFPB Should Consider a More Dynamic Approach to Prepaid Debit Card Regulation
Little evidence suggests that CFPB's proposal will have desirable consequences, but it will likely increase compliance burdens.
