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Directing Government Action: When is Regulation Appropriate?

Start:	Monday, March 26, 2001
End:	Monday, March 26, 2001
Location:	2168 Rayburn House Office Building

Contact Chris Myers at cmyers2@gmu.edu or 703-993-4952

Featuring

Dr. Wendy Lee Gramm
Director of the Regulatory Studies Program
Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Ms. Susan E. Dudley
Senior Research Fellow, Regulatory Studies Program
Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Bruce Yandle, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of Economics
Clemson University

Regardless of how one views the regulatory process, numerous scholarly studies and anecdotal evidence indicate that some regulations are much more effective at meeting objectives than others. Often, simply by reallocating government regulatory efforts, policymakers can 'make a difference' (and sometimes achieve budgetary savings in the process). Unfortunately, these lessons are often learned after the fact, rather than before the process is complete.

Directing Government Action will explore how Congress and federal agencies can improve this rule-making process. Participants will learn how and why certain regulations are more successful in achieving stated goals than others, and understand how special interests affect the process. In addition, attendees will gain a fundamental appreciation of when legislation is needed to address systemic problems, and when alternatives may be more appropriate.

As part of the ongoing Regulatory Studies Briefing program, this roundtable is the first in a three part series examining major questions about government regulation. Upcoming sessions will discuss the actual design of effective regulatory approaches, as well as strategies for measuring their overall costs and benefits.

Associated People

• Susan E. Dudley
• Wendy Gramm
• Bruce Yandle