GW Regulatory Studies Podcast

Connecticut is one of 17 states that currently complies with California’s stricter standards for vehicle emissions, pushing toward an improbably fast phaseout of gas-powered vehicles and making EVs a mandatory 100% of new car sales in just a few years. Bryce Chinault of the Yankee Institute discusses how the many economic and environmental tradeoffs of such a shift have state policymakers in Hartf...

On December 6, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) released the Fall 2023 Unified Agenda, the semiannual roadmap containing information about regulatory actions in development or recently completed by federal agencies. This release marks the Biden administration’s sixth Unified Agenda. Senior Policy Analyst Zoey Xie provides an overview of the document, key takeaways, and trend...

The Biden Administration is more targeted than predecessors in its efforts to improve public participation. But will tools focused on the "supply" side of the equation be enough to increase public engagement? How are the Biden engagement initiatives different or similar from past administrations? Steve Balla and Sarah Hay share their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities ahead...

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) just released its finalized guidance document instructing federal agencies in regulatory impact analysis: the Circular A-4. The final version comes after a draft proposal was unveiled in April of this year and following an extensive comment and review process. What elements changed from draft to final? Policy analysts Sarah Hay, Mark Febrizio and Zoey Xie...

In the transition to electric vehicles (EVs), will the AM radio band be left behind? Automakers say that electromagnetic interference from EV motors disrupts the same frequencies AM station signals rely on, rendering their broadcast largely unintelligible. Tesla, BMW and Volvo have already eliminated AM radio from new EV models, with Volkswagen and Mazda signaling they will follow suit. Their deci...

Co-Director of the Regulatory Studies Center Joe Cordes interviews Visiting Scholar Mary Sullivan for a discussion about the Draft Merger Guidelines developed by the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice. As a former economist at the FTC and the Antitrust Division of the DOJ, Sullivan explains how the guidelines diverge from the longstanding objective of protecting consumer welfar...

Reeve Bull is Deputy Director for the Office of Regulatory Management in the Office of the Governor of Virginia. Bull's working paper, "Building an Evidence-Based System of Regulatory Analysis from the Bottom-Up" is available on the Center's website. In this conversation with RSC Director Susan Dudley, Bull explores the role states can develop for advancing competitive policies t...

When estimating the impacts that a proposed regulation may have over time, an important step is to apply a “discount rate” to translate future impacts to present value terms. This analysis can help determine whether the regulation costs are worth the benefits. Susan Dudley explains why using a single standard discount rate—as proposed in OMB’s Draft Circular A-4—may result in greater uncertainty t...

An overview of guidelines on public engagement for federal agencies, newly released by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Policy Analyst Sarah Hay discusses the proposed framework which emphasizes early involvement, transparency, proactive engagement, and meaningful participation. Read Sarah's full commentary on this topic .

Senior Policy Analyst Zhoudan (Zoey) Xie reviews trends and highlights of the latest Unified Agenda—the White House's semi-annual plan for regulatory priorities. Read Zoey's full commentary on the Unified Agenda for more details.

GW Regulatory Studies Center Director Susan Dudley shares her perspectives on the OMB Draft Circular A4 . Susan emphasizes the durability of regulatory impact analysis under the existing circular across administrations dating back nearly 30 years. Although the draft revisions contain some worthwhile updates, Susan explains that some aspects of the draft appear designed to steer analytical results...

Economist and scholar Mary Sullivan joins the podcast to share perspectives on the proposed introduction of distributional weighting as part of the new draft Circular A-4. The circular, which guides analysis of regulatory costs and benefits, aims to address issues of equity when those costs and benefits are borne differently among various groups. Trade-offs in economic efficiency and lesser transp...

President Biden’s Executive Order “Modernizing Regulatory Review” introduces significant changes in how the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) defines the economic significance of rules and approaches public engagement. Research Professor Bridget Dooling and Senior Policy Analyst Mark Febrizio consider the proposed updates in the order and how it may impact centralized regulatory...

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is proposing a new rule for Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing that seeks to simplify compliance by program participants and focus on outcomes rather than process. Policy Analyst Sarah Hay shares recommendations from her public interest comment which HUD may consider for improving public engagement and encouraging the use of joint Equity Pla...

This week we celebrate the regulatory reforms of President Jimmy Carter, who set in motion a wave of deregulation that brought lower prices and better consumer choices to the airline industry, telecommunications, rail, trucking, and more. GW Regulatory Studies Center Director Susan Dudley discusses how competition in formerly-regulated markets unleashed innovation and generated lasting benefits fo...

Zoey Xie and Mark Febrizio recap ten important themes in regulatory developments over the past year. While the Biden administration continued its efforts to undo Trump-era regulations during its second year, it also broke new ground in several policy areas and sought to address emerging issues in the regulatory sphere. For more details, read the full commentary .

As part of the Biden administration’s equity agenda, the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) has proposed recommendations to increase public engagement in the federal regulatory process , especially from underserved communities. GW RegStudies Center Co-Director Steven Balla and Policy Analyst Sarah Hay discuss their recent commentary  and public interest comments t...

Although consultation promises to bolster the legitimacy of government decisions, it is possible that—in practice—instruments such as the notice and comment process fail to promote transparency, participation, and responsiveness in policymaking. In this discussion, we hear from RSC Co-director Steven Balla and PhD candidates Bosco Yeung and Huang Chen—authors of a new paper on the consultative pol...

ChatGPT is an AI chat bot capable of remarkably human responses. Is the regulatory commenting process prepared for this game-changing technology? GW Law Vice Provost Emily Hammond joins GW Regulatory Studies experts Bridget Dooling, Steve Balla and Mark Febrizio to discuss the implications ChatGPT creates for the public commenting process used at regulatory agencies.

Jerry Ellig hosts this podcast to interview Evan Kwerel who is a senior economic advisor at the Federal Communications Commission, and has played a central role in the development and execution of spectrum auctions. Jerry and Evan reflect on this policy development in light of the recent Nobel Prize awarded to Paul Milgrom and Robert Wilson who's contributions made it all possible.

Laura Stanley discusses recent and upcoming regulatory actions from the Drug Enforcement Administration that could play a role in combating the opioid crisis. Related publications written by Laura: Washington Post op-ed: Bring Back the Methadone Vans https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/20/coronavirus-is-upending-society-here-are-ideas-mitigate-its-impact/?arc404=true#Stanley Commentary...

GW Regulatory Studies Center policy analyst Mark Ferbrizio joins Bryce Chinault to discuss a report he recently published with Melinda Warren from the Weidenbaum Center at Washington University in St. Louis. Read the full report on our website: https://regulatorystudies.columbian.gwu.edu/regulators-budget-overall-spending-and-staffing-remain-stable Mark also references a report by the Center on Bu...

Former FCC chief economist and current GW Regulatory Studies Center research professor Jerry Ellig discusses his recent Commentary on President Trump's recent executive order on preventing online censorship. Hosted by Bryce Chinault.