Laura Stanley

- JD Student, The George Washington University, Senior Policy Analyst, The George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center
Laura Stanley is a JD student at The George Washington University. She also works as a Senior Policy Analyst at The George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center. She formerly worked as an economist at the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Laura earned an MA in economics from George Mason University and a BS in economics at James Madison University. Her research interests include law and economics, Austrian economics, public choice, regulatory analysis, environment/energy policy, and criminal justice. Laura was a Mercatus Center MA Fellow from 2013-2015.
Publications & Appearances
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Regulation and Poverty: An Empirical Examination of the Relationship Between the Incidence of Federal Regulation and the Occurrence of Poverty Across the US States
We estimate the impact of federal regulations on poverty rates in the 50 US states using the recently created Federal Regulation
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Barriers to Prosperity: The Harmful Impact of Entry Regulations on Income Inequality
Entry regulations, including fees, permits and licenses, can make it prohibitively difficult for low-income individuals to
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Regulation and Poverty
“They should regulate that!”This is an instinctive response to any perceived problem. Regulation, however, can have unintended
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Barriers to Prosperity
Entry regulations require would-be members of a profession to pass exams, meet educational requirements, and obtain permits and
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Economists in the Bureaucracy: A Question of Autonomy
Since the early 1980s, federal regulatory agencies have produced regulatory impact analyses (RIAs) for major regulations that include an estimate of the expected benefits and costs of the regulation. While observers have both praised and criticized benefit-cost analysis (BCA) since it first became part of the regulatory process, very few have examined the question of what determines the effectiveness of the economists producing the analysis. When do decision makers listen to the economists, and when are the economists ignored?
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How the Government Keeps the Little Guy from Getting Ahead
Regulations, which erect barriers to entry and make it difficult for entrepreneurs at the bottom rungs of the income…
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Regulation and Income Inequality: The Regressive Effects of Entry Regulations
A new study for the Mercatus Center at George Mason University examines the relationship between income inequality and the number of regulatory steps necessary to start a business. Looking at 175 countries and multiple variables, the study finds that there is a positive relationship between entry regulations and income inequality.
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
The Council on Wage and Price Stability: A Retrospective
Applying benefit-cost analysis in the White House regulatory oversight process served as a basic mission of the Council on Wage and Price Stability (CWPS) during its seven-year lifespan (1974–1981). This paper reviews that CWPS experience, which involved filing comments in over 300 proceedings at more than 25 federal regulatory agencies. The paper draws on those CWPS public comments (filings), identifying persistent and pervasive deficiencies in the economic analysis regulators then and now often use as support for new regulation. CWPS filings fostered greater acceptance of benefit-cost analysis in regulatory decisions; such analysis is now required by executive order.
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
The Council on Wage and Price Stability: A Retrospective
Applying benefit-cost analysis in the White House regulatory oversight process served as a basic mission of the Council on Wage and Price Stability (CWPS) during its seven-year lifespan (1974–1981). This paper reviews that CWPS experience, which involved filing comments in over 300 proceedings at more than 25 federal regulatory agencies.

- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Regulation Regulation
- | Research Papers Research Papers
The Legacy of the Council on Wage and Price Stability
Applying benefit-cost analysis in the White House regulatory oversight process served as a basic mission of the Council on Wage and Price Stability (CWPS) during its seven-year lifespan (1974–1981). This paper reviews that CWPS experience, which involved filing comments in over 300 proceedings at more than 25 federal regulatory agencies.