Steven J. Balla

Co-Director

Professor Balla’s research focuses on stakeholder participation in the development of regulations in the US and China. Who participates in the making and implementing of regulations? Does this participation have an effect on regulatory outputs and outcomes? Balla has studied the notice and comment process, OIRA regulatory review, advisory committees and negotiated rulemakings, among other topics.

For the 2015 - 2016 academic year, Balla served as a Fulbright Scholar at Nankai University in Tianjin, China. Balla also served as a Fulbright Scholar in 2008-2009 at Peking University in Beijing, where he lectured on the American regulatory system and began conducting research on public involvement in policymaking in the Chinese political system.

With William T. Gormley, Jr., Balla is the author of Bureaucracy and Democracy: Accountability and Performance. He holds a Ph.D. from Duke University.

Publications

The Promise (and a Potential Pitfall) of the Biden Administration’s Equity in Public Engagement Initiative

February 22, 2023

OIRA’s public engagement recommendations have the opportunity to expand engagement in the federal rulemaking process

Transparency, Participation, and Responsiveness in Hong Kong Consultative Policymaking

February 10, 2023

Examining the notice and comment practice in Hong Kong, analyzing hundreds of consultations conducted over a 25-year period

Notice the Comment?

November 30, 2022

An examination of 1,000+ instances of notice and comment policymaking by government in China at the central, provincial, and municipal levels.

The Durability of Governance Reform

June 12, 2022

The notice and comment process, in which government organizations make public draft laws and regulations and solicit feedback on these proposals, is a prominent governance reform in contemporary China.

In the Shadow of China

April 28, 2022

In recent years, the Chinese government has increasingly flexed its economic, political, and military muscles around the world. Close to its mainland home has been no exception, as the Chinese government has taken actions to pressure officials in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Responding to Mass, Computer-Generated, and Malattributed Comments

April 1, 2022

A number of technological and political forces have transformed the once staid and insider dominated notice-and-comment process into a forum for large scale, sometimes messy, participation in regulatory decision making.

Notice and Comment Policymaking During Uncertain Times

February 7, 2022

The notice and comment process—in which governments make public draft policies and solicit feedback on these proposals—is seen as a vehicle for promoting transparency, participation, and responsiveness in policymaking.