This paper explores the role of microeconomic analysis in policy formulation by assessing how the regulatory impact analyses (RIAs) that federal regulatory agencies prepare for important proposed rules may affect outcomes when regulations are challenged in court. Conventional wisdom among...

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) established a separate Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA) in December 2018 to promote more consistent quality and use of economic analysis in its decisions. The agency's reorganization concentrated economists who previously were dispersed across...

Over the last century, the United States has witnessed three approaches to achieving better regulatory outcomes: the removal of "economic" regulations in certain sectors; regulatory impact analysis (RIA) of new "social" regulations; and retrospective analysis of existing regulations. This...

In 2020 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) revisited a spectrum allocation decision it made in 1999. The Agency found that frequencies set aside for specific technologies used by vehicles - Intelligent Transportation Services (ITS) - had been left largely unused. It crafted new rules,...

For the past decade, U.S. communications policymakers have been debating the need for net-neutrality regulation of "dominant" communications carrier platforms. One of the reasons advanced for regulating these carriers derives from a fear that carriers could reduce competition in the production...

An invited contribution to an issue of the Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis honoring the work of the late Dr. Jerry Ellig, this essay recognizes and draws upon the Regulatory Report Card methodology developed by Ellig and Dr. Patrick McLaughlin to evaluate the quality of regulatory impact...

In response to tire failures and vehicle rollover accidents, most notably those experienced by Ford Explorers with Firestone Tires, the 106th Congress and President Clinton enacted the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability, and Documentation (TREAD) Act of 2000. Section 13 of the...

This article is part of a larger series that is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Jerry Ellig, with whom I had the pleasure of working on multiple occasions. It exploresthe concept of regulatory subsidiarity, whichinvolves pushing regulatory power down from centralized governments to state, local,...

We briefly describe the structure of a regulatory system that alleviates many of the problems that arise when elected officials delegate rulemaking authority to government agencies. These problems include principal-agent issues, monopoly provision, information asymmetry, and tragedy of the...

Jerry Ellig was a unique character and a great economist. He believed in one thing, using economic analysis to help solve problems. He became an expert at Regulatory Impact Analyses and how they helped governments to choose the best option to do just that, all the while recognizing the problems...