Most federal agencies must conduct economic analysis when proposing major regulations. This paper uses a new data set scoring the quality of analysis accompanying proposed regulations in 2008 to assess whether some types of regulations receive more thorough analysis than others. Previous...

We examine the relationship between entry regulations and income inequality. Entry regulations increase the cost of legally starting a business relative to the alternatives — working for someone else, entering illegally, or exiting the labor force. We hypothesize that such regulations may...

Ever since its introduction in 2012, RegData—the Mercatus Center’s database for quantifying federal regulation—has served as an objective tool for measuring regulations within a jurisdiction. In the decade since its launch, RegData has expanded significantly to cover several jurisdictions,...

As the COVID-19 crisis intensified, policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels started suspending or rescinding laws and regulations that hindered sensible, speedy responses to the pandemic. These “rule departures” raised many questions. Were the paused rules undermining public...

We describe RegData 3.0, a database released by the RegData Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University on August 31, 2017, for the purpose of facilitating third-party usage. We explain the primary features of the database, describe the methodology used to build it, and list the...

We examine the relationship between entry regulations and income inequality. Entry regulations increase the cost of legally starting a business relative to the alternatives working for someone else, entering illegally, or exiting the labor force. We hypothesize that such regulations may cause...

The current legislative and regulatory processes may not adequately inform Congress about the scope and economic consequences of legislation. Even if Congress had such information, no mechanism exists to allow Congress to easily act upon it. The budget process permits Congress to monitor and...

As the quantity and scope of regulations in Florida grow, so does the degree to which they affect the economy. In these circumstances, a little reform to the process of creating regulations can go a long way toward crafting an environment that fosters competitiveness and economic efficiency....