Richard A. Williams
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Senior Affiliated Scholar
Richard Williams is a Senior Affiliated Scholar, the former Director of the Regulatory Studies Program, and the former Vice President of Policy Research at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. He is an expert in benefit-cost analysis and risk analysis, particularly associated with food safety and nutrition. In 2021 he authored, “Fixing Food: An FDA Insider Unravels the Myths and the Solutions.”
Williams has testified before the US Congress and addressed numerous international governments, including those of the United Kingdom, China, South Korea, Yugoslavia, and Australia. His media appearances have included NPR, Reuters, Bloomberg, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
Before joining the Mercatus Center, Williams was the director for social sciences at the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) where he worked for 27 years. He also was an adviser to the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis and taught economics at Washington and Lee University. He is a US Army veteran who served in Vietnam.
Latest Work
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
FDA Is Slowing Down Production of Hand Sanitizers
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Annual Office of Management and Budget report is ground zero for regulatory clashes
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Mister Rogers Had It Right: Trust in Your Neighbors
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Worldwide War on Tasty Food
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Can We Have Our Insects and Eat Them, Too?
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Regulators must first admit defeat on nutrition labels to improve
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
'Clean Meat' (or 'Frankenfood') Will Lead to Tough Choices
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The ‘I’ Factor
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
More Information Needed on the Benefits and Costs of Regulations
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How to Make Science Trustworthy Again
Latest Work
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
FDA Is Slowing Down Production of Hand Sanitizers
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Annual Office of Management and Budget report is ground zero for regulatory clashes
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Mister Rogers Had It Right: Trust in Your Neighbors
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Worldwide War on Tasty Food
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Can We Have Our Insects and Eat Them, Too?
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Regulators must first admit defeat on nutrition labels to improve
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
'Clean Meat' (or 'Frankenfood') Will Lead to Tough Choices
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The ‘I’ Factor
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
More Information Needed on the Benefits and Costs of Regulations
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How to Make Science Trustworthy Again
Latest Work
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Working Papers Working Papers
The Consequences of Regulatory Accumulation and a Proposed Solution
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Data Visualizations Data Visualizations
Government Report on Benefits and Costs of Federal Regulations Fails to Capture Full Impact of Rules
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Data Visualizations Data Visualizations
Comparison of Final Rules with Monetized Benefits and Costs
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Regulatory Overload
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Blueprint for Regulatory Reform: First, Lay the Cornerstone
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Blueprint for Regulatory Reform
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Regulatory Oversight
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The Impact of Regulation on Investment and the U.S. Economy
Latest Work
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
FDA Is Slowing Down Production of Hand Sanitizers
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Annual Office of Management and Budget report is ground zero for regulatory clashes
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Mister Rogers Had It Right: Trust in Your Neighbors
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Worldwide War on Tasty Food
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Can We Have Our Insects and Eat Them, Too?
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Regulators must first admit defeat on nutrition labels to improve
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
'Clean Meat' (or 'Frankenfood') Will Lead to Tough Choices
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The ‘I’ Factor
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
More Information Needed on the Benefits and Costs of Regulations
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary