On its Surface, this book is aimed at the topical issue of regulatory reform. But underneath it strives to go beyond the topical, seeking to analyze regulation as a distinct discipline and to help teach it as a separate subject.

Regulation has become a front-page topic recently, often referenced by politicians in conjunction with the current state of the U.S. economy. Yet despite regulation’s increased presence in current politics and media, The Politics of Regulatory Reform argues that the regulatory process and its influence on the economy is misunderstood by the general public as well as by many politicians. In this book, two experienced regulation scholars confront questions relevant to both academic scholars and those with a general interest in ascertaining the effects and importance of regulation. How does regulation impact the economy? What roles do politicians play in making regulatory decisions? Why do politicians enact laws that require regulations and then try to hamper agencies abilities to issue those same regulations? The authors answer these questions and untangle the misperceptions behind regulation by using an area of regulatory policy that has been underutilized until now. Rather than focusing on the federal government, Shapiro and Borie-Holtz have gathered a unique dataset on the regulatory process and output in the United States. They use state-specific data from twenty-eight states, as well as a series of case studies on regulatory reform, to question widespread impressions and ideas about the regulatory process. The result is an incisive and comprehensive study of the relationship between politics and regulation that also encompasses the effects of regulation and the reasons why regulatory reforms are enacted.

The United States has been a world leader in regulatory reform for a quarter century. Contrary to popular belief, the United States is not less regulated than other countries, but differently regulated due to the pro-competition policy stance of federal regulatory regimes, and the openness and contestability of regulatory process. Far-reaching economic deregulation combined with efforts to improve the quality of social regulation have supported the construction of one of the most innovative, flexible and open economies in the OECD, while maintaining health safety and environmental standards at relatively high levels. However, significant regulatory problems still exist. Improving the performance and cost-effectiveness of expensive social regulations and government formalities is a key challenge for regulatory quality. In a word, the challenge of regulatory reform in the United States is not how much regulation, but how good. The United States is one of the first OECD countries to request a broad review by the OECD of its national regulatory practices and domestic regulatory reforms. This report--the result of intensive assessment by the OECD and review by its Member countries--is unique in that it presents an integrated assessment of regulatory reform in framework areas such as the macroeconomic context, the quality of the public sector, competition policy and enforcement; and integration of market openness principles in regulatory processes, and in sectors such as electricity and telecommunications. The policy recommendations present a balanced plan of action for both short and longer-term based on best international regulatory practices.

Regulation has become a front-page topic recently, often referenced by politicians in conjunction with the current state of the U.S. economy. Yet despite regulation's increased presence in current politics and media, The Politics of Regulatory Reform argues that the regulatory process and its influence on the economy is misunderstood by the general public as well as by many politicians. In this book, two experienced regulation scholars confront questions relevant to both academic scholars and those with a general interest in ascertaining the effects and importance of regulation. How does regulation impact the economy? What roles do politicians play in making regulatory decisions? Why do politicians enact laws that require regulations and then try to hamper agencies abilities to issue those same regulations? The authors answer these questions and untangle the misperceptions behind regulation by using an area of regulatory policy that has been underutilized until now. Rather than focusing on the federal government, Shapiro and Borie-Holtz have gathered a unique dataset on the regulatory process and output in the United States. They use state-specific data from twenty-eight states, as well as a series of case studies on regulatory reform, to question widespread impressions and ideas about the regulatory process. The result is an incisive and comprehensive study of the relationship between politics and regulation that also encompasses the effects of regulation and the reasons why regulatory reforms are enacted.