Show Notes
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 than using a range of rates for regulatory impact analysis. Read Susan's essay for more details.
More from GW Regulatory Studies Podcast
Mary Sullivan and Howard Beales discuss why it would be premature for the Federal Trade Commission to impose an enforcement standard on "personalized pricing," which they contend is a practice that is not well understood in the marketplace. Read more.
Policy Analyst Matias Vesperoni discusses the emerging federal framework for stablecoin issuers and how their reserves must be managed. Read the commentary.
Policy analysts Matias Vesperoni and Finn Dobkin share key takeaways of the new Regulators’ Budget report. The latest edition covers fiscal years 1960 through 2024 and presents data extracted from the Budget of the United States on the outlays and personnel devoted to writing, administering, and enforcing federal regulations at 77 departments and agencies. The Regulators’ Budget offers insights into the growth and changing composition of federal regulation over the past 65 years. Access the complete report at our website.
Previously considered largely a tool for the incoming Congress and president to overturn a departing president’s midnight regulations, Congress has recently begun using the CRA in unanticipated ways. Professors Susan Dudley and Steven Balla discuss new approaches and implications for the future. Read full commentary.
Hoover Institution Research Fellow Patrick McLaughlin discusses how the driving force behind safety improvements in the freight rail industry is capital investment, not minimum staffing requirements.