Patrick McLaughlin
- Senior Research Fellow, Director of Policy Analytics
Dr. Patrick A. McLaughlin is the Director of Policy Analytics and a Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. His research focuses primarily on regulations and the regulatory process.
Dr. McLaughlin created and leads the RegData and QuantGov projects, deploying machine learning and other tools of data science to quantify governance indicators found in federal and state regulations and other policy documents. The resulting database is freely available at QuantGov.org, and has facilitated pioneering empirical research by numerous third-party users on the causes and effects of regulation.
Dr. McLaughlin has authored more than a dozen peer-reviewed studies in diverse areas, including regulatory economics, administrative law, industrial organization, and international trade. His book, The Impact of Federal Regulation on the Fifty States (with Oliver Sherouse), is available for download here.
Dr. McLaughlin has given expert testimonies before Congress and state legislatures on topics ranging from the economic implications of regulatory accumulation to the potential impacts of regulatory reform. His research and op-eds have been featured in a wide range of media outlets including The Economist, C-SPAN, WSJ, Politico, and The Hill.
Prior to joining Mercatus, Dr. McLaughlin served as a Senior Economist at the Federal Railroad Administration in the United States Department of Transportation and as a Visiting Scholar at the Regulatory Studies Center at George Washington University. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from Clemson University.
Latest Work
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
More Recent Regulations That Have No Benefit | Third Order
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Thousands of Regulations Are Behind Paywalls | Third Order
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Decoding Judicial Deference | Third Order
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Occupational Licensing Reform Can Help Ease Workplace Shortages | Third Order
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Mercatus Policy Download Mercatus Policy Download
Dr. Bruce Yandle's September 2023 Economic Situation Report
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Puzzle of the Regulatory Process | Third Order
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Roll Over, Hammurabi: Federal Regulations Are Hidden Behind Paywalls | National Review
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Mercatus Policy Download Mercatus Policy Download
Dr. Bruce Yandle's June 2023 Economic Situation Report
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How To Bail America Out From Overregulation | Discourse
Latest Work
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
More Recent Regulations That Have No Benefit | Third Order
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Thousands of Regulations Are Behind Paywalls | Third Order
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Decoding Judicial Deference | Third Order
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Occupational Licensing Reform Can Help Ease Workplace Shortages | Third Order
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Mercatus Policy Download Mercatus Policy Download
Dr. Bruce Yandle's September 2023 Economic Situation Report
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Puzzle of the Regulatory Process | Third Order
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Roll Over, Hammurabi: Federal Regulations Are Hidden Behind Paywalls | National Review
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Mercatus Policy Download Mercatus Policy Download
Dr. Bruce Yandle's June 2023 Economic Situation Report
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How To Bail America Out From Overregulation | Discourse
Latest Work
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Regulation and Economic Growth
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Larger Polities Are More Regulated
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Regulation, Entrepreneurship, and Dynamism
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
A Policymaker’s Guide to State RegData 2.0
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Regulation, Entrepreneurship, and Dynamism
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Larger Polities Are More Regulated
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Data Visualizations Data Visualizations
Quantifying Regulation in US States with State RegData 2.0
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Is Dodd-Frank the Biggest Law Ever?
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
POLICY SPOTLIGHT: COVID-19 Shows Why America Needs Regulatory Reform
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Research Papers Research Papers
Three Myths about Federal Regulation
Latest Work
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Mercatus Original Video Mercatus Original Video
Reg Reform: What Patrick McLaughlin Says is Needed to Get it Right
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Mercatus Original Video Mercatus Original Video
Visualizing the Growth of Federal Regulation Since 1950
Latest Work
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
The Searching for and Cutting Regulations That Are Unnecessarily Burdensome Act of 2014
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
On the Human Costs of the US Regulatory System: Should Congress Pressure Agencies to Make Rules Faster?
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
What Information Could Help in Analyzing Regulation? Is There a Problem to be Fixed?
Latest Work
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Roll Over, Hammurabi: Federal Regulations Are Hidden Behind Paywalls | National Review
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How To Bail America Out From Overregulation | Discourse
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Measuring Regulatory Accumulation in the US States
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
States’ Mistakes Are No Justification for Federal Regulation
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
It’s No Time to Slow Down on Remote Inspections
- | Technology and Innovation Technology and Innovation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Biden Should Double Down on Trump’s Policy of Promoting AI Within Government
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Will Coronavirus Push Policymakers to Change the Regulations Paradigm?
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary