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.
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
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.
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.
Congress Targets Six Trump Administration Regulations for Elimination Under the CRA
The Democrat-led Congress has targeted six Trump-era regulations for elimination under the Congressional Review Act.
Developing Regulatory Alternatives Through Early Input
Agencies face a multitude of requirements instituted by Congress and the president to guide their rulemaking procedures. In some cases, these laws and orders, such as Executive Order 12866 and the Regulatory Flexibility Act, mandate that the agency consider a variety of regulatory approaches when developing a rule.
A Project Worth Watching at OIRA
Building up the ability for agencies to conduct effective benefit-cost analysis was difficult when President Clinton authored Executive Order 12866 in 1993, so too will be building out better distributional analysis under President Biden’s “Modernizing Regulatory Review” Memorandum. It was worth the effort then, and it will be worth the effort now.
Where are the Congressional Review Act Disapprovals?
The stars are aligned for Democrats to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to disapprove federal agency regulations from the end of the Trump administration. But will they? With an April 4 deadline looming, members of Congress are running out of time to get the process started with the introduction of a resolution to disapprove a rule.
Seismic Shift In The Regulatory Tide
The first two months of the Biden-Harris administration indicate a departure from the traditional regulatory review practices embraced by both parties.
Beyond Republicans and the Disapproval of Regulations
This article finds that the Congressional Review Act has become an institutionalized instrument of oversight of regulatory policymaking.