Patrick McLaughlin
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Senior Research FellowDirector 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
How To Bail America Out From Overregulation | Discourse
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Research Papers Research Papers
Regulatory System Design: Some Solutions to the Delegation Problem
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Mercatus Policy Download Mercatus Policy Download
Dr. Bruce Yandle's March 2023 Economic Situation Report
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The Economic Situation, March 2023
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Counting the Code: How Many Criminal Laws Has Congress Created?
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
The Unintended Consequences of the FRA's Minimum Train Crew Size Rule
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Mercatus Policy Download Mercatus Policy Download
Dr. Bruce Yandle's December 2022 Economic Situation Report
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The Economic Situation, December 2022
- | Article
What's Next for Regulations?
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Mercatus Policy Download Mercatus Policy Download
Dr. Bruce Yandle's September 2022 Economic Situation Report
Latest Work
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How To Bail America Out From Overregulation | Discourse
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Research Papers Research Papers
Regulatory System Design: Some Solutions to the Delegation Problem
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Mercatus Policy Download Mercatus Policy Download
Dr. Bruce Yandle's March 2023 Economic Situation Report
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The Economic Situation, March 2023
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Counting the Code: How Many Criminal Laws Has Congress Created?
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
The Unintended Consequences of the FRA's Minimum Train Crew Size Rule
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Mercatus Policy Download Mercatus Policy Download
Dr. Bruce Yandle's December 2022 Economic Situation Report
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The Economic Situation, December 2022
- | Article
What's Next for Regulations?
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Mercatus Policy Download Mercatus Policy Download
Dr. Bruce Yandle's September 2022 Economic Situation Report
Latest Work
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
POLICY SPOTLIGHT: How to Create a Fresh Start Initiative in Your State
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
POLICY SPOTLIGHT: A State-Level Approach to Reducing the Regulatory Burden on Small Businesses
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Small Business Recovery after COVID-19
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
A Fresh Start: How to Address Regulations Suspended during the Coronavirus Crisis
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Data Visualizations Data Visualizations
Quantifying Regulation in US States
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Regulatory Review Commission + Regulatory Budget = A Diet for Better, More Effective Regulations
- | Monetary Policy Monetary Policy
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The Economic Situation, September 2019
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Working Papers Working Papers
RegData: Australia
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Performance Standards vs. Design Standards: Facilitating a Shift toward Best Practices
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
A Snapshot of Regulatory Restrictions in the Great Lakes Region
Latest Work
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Keep Cutting Those Regulations
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Ending Qualified Immunity Will Also Impact the Administrative State, Not Just the Police
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Idaho “Spring Cleaning” Order a Model for Other States
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Get the 'F' out of the FDA
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Dispelling Myths in the War Against the Regulatory State
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Mandating Minimum Crew Size for Freight Trains Is Still a Bad Idea
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Red tape report card: Study shows modest but encouraging progress in reducing regulations across Canada
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
We Must Shine the Spotlight on Regulation
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary