A review of available literature on potential economic impacts of reducing regulatory compliance burdens on business.
Susan E. Dudley
Susan E. Dudley
Founder & Senior Scholar, Regulatory Studies Center
Susan Dudley founded the George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center in 2009 to improve regulatory policy through research, education, and outreach. She is a senior scholar with the Center and a distinguished professor of practice in the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration. She is a past president of the Society for Benefit Cost Analysis, a senior fellow with the Administrative Conference of the United States, and former chair of the Regulatory Transparency Project’s Regulatory Process working group. Her book, Regulation: A Primer, with Jerry Brito, is available on Amazon.com.
From April 2007 through January 2009, Professor Dudley served as the Presidentially-appointed Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and was responsible for the review of draft executive branch regulations under Executive Order 12866, the collection of federal-government-wide information under the Paperwork Reduction Act, the development and implementation of government-wide policies in the areas of information policy, privacy, and statistical policy, and international regulatory cooperation efforts.
Prior to OIRA, she directed the Regulatory Studies Program at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, and taught courses on regulation at the George Mason University School of Law. Earlier in her career, Professor Dudley served as an economist at OIRA, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. She was also a consultant to government and private clients at Economists Incorporated. She holds a Master of Science degree from the Sloan School of Management at MIT and a Bachelor of Science degree (summa cum laude) in Resource Economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Memos to the New OIRA Administrator
President Biden’s Modernizing Regulatory Review memorandum signals continuity in some regulatory practices and big shifts in others.
EPA's New Science Advisory Process
EPA’s new process for engaging its science advisors would embed them in every step of the rulemaking process, which risks diminishing the independence of their review and possibly foreclosing consideration of important research, perspectives, and policy options.
One Year On, a Critical Role Needs to Be Filled By the Administration
President Biden has made regulation a priority during his first year in office. On Day One, he carried through on campaign promises and signed several executive orders, memorandums and directives charging agencies to reverse much of his predecessor’s actions and to “modernize” regulatory review. Since then, he has also aggressively pursued new regulatory priorities, including those related to racial equity, climate change, employment, and the pandemic.
Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Clothes Washers
We served as members of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Review of Methods for Setting Building and Equipment Performance Standards, and offer these comments based on the peer review we conducted between the fall of 2019 and spring of 2021.
Setting Appliance and Equipment Standards
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions.
Joint Letter to the Dept. of Energy
We served as members of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Review of Methods for Setting Building and Equipment Performance Standards. We write to request that the Committee’s report and recommendations, “Review of Methods Used by the U.S. Department of Energy in Setting Appliance and Equipment Standards,”1 be placed on the rulemaking docket for rule EERE–2021–BT–STD–0003, “Energy Conservation Program for Appliance Standards: Procedures, Interpretations, and Policies for Consideration in New or Revised Energy Conservation Standards and Test Procedures for Consumer Products and Commercial/Industrial Equipment.”
The Administrative Procedure Act (APA) of 1946 celebrated a milestone birthday this year. Its requirements—that regulations be grounded in statutory law and an administrative record that includes public notice-and-comment—have guided executive branch rulemaking without significant amendment for 75 years. It is one of the most important and enduring pieces of legislation ever enacted, yet its passage wasn’t always assured. This commentary, excerpted from my recent Daedalus essay on “Milestones in the Evolution of the Administrative State,” reviews the contentious and messy, yet constructive, process that yielded this landmark act.
President Biden's Competition Executive Order Breaks New Ground
President Biden's most recent E.O. on competition stands out in terms of its length, prescriptiveness, and application to independent regulatory agencies.
The U.S. and Europe Are Embarking On Dramatically Different Paths To Better Regulation
Better regulation is a priority on both sides of the Atlantic, but recent directives from Europe and the U.S. reveal very different strategies for achieving it.
Milestones in the Evolution of the Administrative State
The modern administrative state, as measured by several metrics, has grown significantly over the last hundred years.
Engaging in the Rulemaking Process
The public has many opportunities to provide input as regulations are being developed.