Regulatory Studies Program
The Regulatory Studies Program of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University works within the university setting to improve the state of knowledge and debate about regulations and their impact on society through peer reviewed research, ultimately improving how government works in the regulatory arena.
Public Interest Comment - Implementing a Broadband Interoperable Public Safety Network in the 700 MHz Band
Jerry BritoJune 23, 2008
This comment to the Federal Communications Commission is a response to the commission's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on public safety communications interoperability.
Public Interest Comment - Extension of Optional Practical Training for Foreign Students
Mark AdamsJune 12, 2008
This comment to the Department of Homeland Security is a response to the department's Notice of Interim Final Rulemaking for Extending Period of Optional Practical Training by 17 Months for F-1 Nonimmigrant Students With STEM Degrees and Expanding Cap-Gap Relief for All F-1 Students With Pending H-1B Petitions.
Mercatus on Policy - How Well Do Federal Performance Reports Inform the Public?
Jerry ElligMay 29, 2008
Mercatus Senior Research Fellow Jerry Ellig examines federal agency performance reports and how effectively they inform the public.
Mercatus on Policy - What's the Emergency?
Veronique de RugyMay 22, 2008
Mercatus Senior Research Fellow Veronique de Rugy examines emergency supplemental spending trends and abuse.
The Resilient Homeland: How DHS Intelligence Should Empower America to Prepare for, Prevent, and Withstand Terrorist Attacks
Amos GuioraMay 15, 2008
In this testimony delivered before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment, Amos Guiora, a Professor of Law at the S.J.Quinney College of Law, University of Utah addresses the requirements needed to shape a resilient homeland in a post-9/11 society and builds on the ideas discussed in the Mercatus primer “A Framework for Evaluating Counterterrorism Regulations” that he co-authored.
Hack, Mash & Peer: Crowdsourcing Government Transparency
Jerry BritoMay 14, 2008
The federal government makes an overwhelming amount of data publicly available each year. Laws ranging from the Administrative Procedure Act to the Paperwork Reduction Act require these disclosures in the name of transparency and accountability. However, the data are often only nominally publicly available. First, this is the case because it is not available online or even in electronic format. Second, the data that can be found online is often not available in an easily accessible or searchable format. If government information was made public online and in standard open formats, the online masses could be leveraged to help ensure the transparency and accountability that is the reason for making information public in the first place.
Mercatus on Policy - Ending Translucent Government: Putting Government Data Online
Jerry BritoApril 28, 2008
Mercatus Senior Research Fellow Jerry Brito examines government transparency regulation and the need for greater access to public information online.
Mercatus Reports: Spring 2008 - Free Sex Chat?
Christopher HixonApril 22, 2008
This report in the Spring 2008 issue of Regulation discusses the Federal Communications Commission regulations that determine the fees that local telephone carriers can charge long-distance carriers for calls originating from the long-distance carrier's network and how these regulations are taken advantage of by operators of sex chat lines, conference bridges, and other high call volume operations at the expense of the consumer.
Mercatus Reports: Spring 2008 - Bush at Midnight
Veronique de RugyApril 22, 2008
This report in the Spring 2008 issue of Regulation discusses midnight regulations and the Bush Administration.
The Law & Economics of Subprime Lending
Todd Zywicki, Joseph AdamsonApril 15, 2008
In this working paper, Mercatus Center Senior Scholar Todd J. Zywicki and Mercatus Center Research Associate Joseph Adamson address the current concerns with the subprime mortgage market. The paper explores the economics of subprime lending and home buying by reviewing the theories and evidence regarding the causes of the turmoil in the subprime market.
