We present solutions to each of the major delegation problems that arise when elected officials delegate rulemaking authority to government agencies. These problems include principal-agent issues, monopoly provision, information asymmetry, and tragedy of the commons. Rather than presenting our...

We introduce RegData, formerly known as the Industry-Specific Regulatory Constraint Database. RegData annually quantifies federal regulations by industry and by regulatory agency for all federal regulations from 1997 to 2012. The quantification of regulations at the industry level for all...

We show that multilateral environmental regulations may affect trade flows differently than unilaterally generated regulations. Using the gravity equation, we test the effect on bilateral trade flows of increases in environmental regulation stringency ratings, taken from survey data, with a...

I test the level of information regarding possible groundwater contamination present in the residential real estate market in Washington County, Minnesota, where an approximately seven square-mile trichloroethylene plume has affected hundreds of households’ water supplies since at least 1988....

This paper contains the written testimony of Patrick A. McLaughlin submitted in conjunction with oral testimony given before the Domestic Policy Subcommittee of the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on April 23, 2009. Dr. McLaughlin stated that mandating benefits for H-2B...

This paper provides the first empirical test of the Portia Hypothesis: females with masculine monikers are more successful in legal careers. Utilizing South Carolina microdata, we look for correlation between an individual's advancement to a judgeship and his/her name's masculinity, which we...

The midnight regulations phenomenon - an increase in the rate of regulation promulgation during the final months of an outgoing president's term - is empirically tested using data on the number of economically significant regulations reviewed each month. Submissions of economically significant...

What explains variation in the degree of regulation across US states and industries? We examine cross-sectional variation in state government regulation facing 81 three-digit NAICS industries by matching novel data on regulatory restrictions at the state-industry level with data on...

This paper provides the first empirical test of the Portia Hypothesis: Females with masculine monikers are more successful in legal careers. Utilizing South Carolina microdata, we look for correlation between an individual's advancement to a judgeship and his-her name's masculinity, which we...