Engaging in the Rulemaking Process
The public has many opportunities to provide input as regulations are being developed.
Publications
The GW Regulatory Studies Center scholars regularly conduct applied research to understand regulatory policy and practice from a public interest perspective. Our content often takes the form of public interest comments, formal testimony, working papers, policy insights, and short commentaries analyzing the most pressing issues in regulatory policy. View the rest of our material by the different types of publications listed on this page or our research areas.
What We Publish
Journal Articles & Working Papers
Long-form publications intended for academic audiences that take a deep dive into a particular aspect of regulatory policy.
Public Comments & Testimonies
Scholarly analysis of the potential effects of particular rulemakings from federal agencies, and advice to Congress on how to improve the rulemaking process.
Commentaries & Insights
Short-form publications intended for all audiences which provide easy to access analysis of regulatory policy.
Books & Reports
Formal publications, often completed with other leading organizations and individuals, providing a thorough understanding of regulations and the rulemaking process.
Newsletters
The weekly Regulation Digest contains everything you need to know about regulatory policy today, and our monthly Center Update gives you all of the latest from our team.
For accessible charts and supporting data that you can use in your own publications or presentations, visit the Reg Stats page.
Latest Publications
Mass, Computer-Generated, and Fraudulent Comments
This report explores three forms of commenting in federal rulemaking that have been enabled by technological advances: mass, fraudulent, and computer-generated comments.
DHS: Do More than Just Reverse the Reversal
The recent decision from DHS to retain the international entrepreneur program is sensible, but the agency can do more.
Let’s Not Forget George Stigler’s Lessons about Regulatory Capture
George Stigler’s theory of economic regulation opened our eyes to the rent-seeking that undermines the public interest.
HHS Eases Requirements for Treating Opioid Patients with Buprenorphine
The Department of Health and Human Services recently released guidelines that make it easier to prescribe buprenorphine to patients with opioid use disorder.
Distributional Effects in Regulatory Impact Analysis
President Biden reinforced longstanding requirements for regulatory analysis and placed renewed emphasis on understanding distributional regulatory effects.
The Consumer Protection and Recovery Act
An article co-authored by Howard Beales, professor emeritus of strategic management and public policy at the George Washington University School of Business and senior scholar at the GW Regulatory Studies Center, was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in a ruling issued earlier this month limiting the Federal Trade Commission’s ability to recover monetary relief for consumers defrauded by companies that use deceptive practices.
The effects of regulation on jobs have been a heated theme in contemporary political debate. Little attention has been paid to regulatory uncertainty, and yet its impact on employment has a basis in the economic theory.
Unsupervised Use of Opioid Treatment Medications
Methadone, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder, can only be dispensed to patients at federally regulated opioid treatment programs. This restriction grew out of concerns about diversion and overdose.
Biden is Using Multiple Mechanisms to Reverse Trump's Regulatory Agenda
Biden has been actively using several options to reverse Trump-era rules, including withdrawals, regulatory suspensions, strategic responses to litigation, etc.