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Streamlining Governance: Bold Ideas for Efficiency and Deregulation

The ever-growing burden of government regulations, combined with unchecked federal spending, continues to stunt US economic growth and impede effective governance.

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Deregulation

Deregulation and Fiscal Prudence Spur Innovation and Growth

At the federal level, the number of regulatory restrictions on the books has grown from 400,000 in 1970 to almost 1.1 million today. Regulatory compliance now costs American businesses and consumers hundreds of billions of dollars annually.

As Mercatus research shows, the effects of regulatory accumulation are regressive: Regulation can lead to higher levels of income inequality, higher rates of poverty, and increased mortality rates.

At the same time, Americans are paying more for less. Even as they deal with increasing government restrictions on their businesses and in their lives, they know that many government programs are failing to deliver meaningful returns on taxpayer investment. And the $2 trillion deficit continues to rise.

Policy reform can provide a way forward. Mercatus scholars are demonstrating how targeted deregulation and better budgeting can enhance government efficiency, boost economic growth, and help deliver a more free, peaceful, and prosperous future for all.

Efficiency

Expert Commentary

Congress Must Join in Musk and Ramaswamy’s DOGE Efforts

Veronique de Rugy

Musk and Ramaswamy have energized many people to talk about fiscal issues in a way we haven’t seen in a while. They could get people engaged about demanding that Congress be part of their efforts.

Expert Commentary

GAO Is the DOGE That Congress often Ignores

Veronique de Rugy

Veronique de Rugy writes at National Review that a recent report on the Government Accountability Office offers recommendations that Congress cannot afford to ignore. 

Research Paper

Beyond Dynamic Scoring: Enhancing CBO’s Evaluation of Program Integrity Spending

Keith Hall

Examining how updated scoring practices can strengthen program integrity and enhance fiscal accountability.

Policy Brief

Boosting Housing Affordability: Practical Suggestions for Congress and the White House

By Salim Furth and Charles Gardner

How executive actions and new laws in Washington can help reform efforts in the states.

Policy Brief

Flexible and Portable Benefits for Independent Workers: Federal Policy Guide

By Liya Palagashvili and Jonathan Wolfson

Seven federal reforms that will increase access to benefits for nontraditional workers—benefits that are not tied to one job or employer but travel with the worker.

Expert Commentary

Abolish the Small Business Administration

Veronique de Rugy

Like all government perks, SBA lending creates unseen victims.

Expert Commentary

Why Trump May Consolidate Federal Antitrust Enforcement

Alden Abbott

In short, a strong case can be made for congressional consolidation of federal antitrust enforcement within DOJ.

Spending

Expert Commentary

Some Budget-Cut Suggestions for the New Administration

Veronique de Rugy

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are coming to town to cut spending, and I have suggestions. The deficit is $2 trillion and growing. We will spend roughly $7 trillion next year. There is plenty to cut.

Broadcast Appearance

Veronique de Rugy on Federal Spending and DOGE

Veronique de Rugy

Veronique de Rugy joined C-SPAN’s Washington Journal to discuss federal spending reforms and the incoming Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency. 

Expert Commentary

The GOP's Gigantic Opportunity

Veronique de Rugy

The GOP now owns the debt and its consequences. This responsibility, while too much for past politicians, presents the opportunity of a lifetime: namely, to be the ones who put the government back on fiscal track and, among other things, save entitlement programs from long-term disaster.

Expert Commentary

Close This Multitrillion-Dollar Budget Loophole

Charles Blahous

Congress needs a better baseline to evaluate legislation with a significant effect on the federal budget.

Expert Commentary

DOGE Should Defund the OECD

By Veronique de Rugy

In their Wall Street Journal op-ed about DOGE, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy said they would cut “$1.5 billion for grants to international organizations.”

Expert Commentary

Where DOGE Can Make a Difference

Veronique de Rugy

Can Musk and Ramaswamy tackle federal inefficiency?

Expert Commentary

Don't Write Off DOGE

Veronique de Rugy

The bottom line is that there is no reason, political or otherwise, to assert that Musk and Ramaswamy's plan is impossible to achieve. If they fail, it will be because Congress refused to join the cause. 

Expert Commentary

To Rethink Government, DOGE Must Unshackle AI within Government

Veronique de Rugy & Matthew Mittelsteadt

The question isn’t just one of making government more efficient within its current paradigm; it’s how we can reimagine government operations for the age of artificial intelligence.

Expert Commentary

Privatize the Postal Service, Amtrak, Airports, and More

Veronique de Rugy

Privatization isn't about cutting corners; it's about unleashing and leveraging the ingenuity and competitiveness of the private sector to deliver better services at lower costs.

Expert Commentary

Abolish the CFPB

Veronique de Rugy

This rogue agency stifles innovation, drives up costs, and infantilizes consumers—all while operating without accountability.

Deregulation

Policy Brief

Snapshots of State Regulations | 2024 Edition

By Patrick McLaughlin and Dustin Chambers

Mercatus research indicates that regulatory accumulation worsens economic conditions, inadvertently increasing poverty rates, destroying jobs, and raising prices. The path to reversing these trends is clear: Improve regulations by reducing their number.

 
Expert Commentary

Cutting Red Tape To Spur Economic Growth

Patrick McLaughlin

U.S. states that have implemented policies such as regulatory budgets that cut red tape tend to grow faster than states that have maintained the status quo.

Policy Brief

The Human Cost of Regulations and Some Possible Solutions

Dustin Chambers

The unintended consequences of regulations can harm businesses, workers, and households of every kind. However, researchers are increasingly discovering that this harm disproportionately affects low-income households and individuals.

Policy Brief

A Primer on Regulatory Impact Analysis

James Broughel

The federal government should experiment to update and improve procedures that have changed very little in the past 40 years.

Policy Brief

A 50-State Review of Regulatory Procedures

By James Broughel, Brian Baugus, and Feler Bose

A comprehensive analysis of how state-level rulemaking processes vary across the United States, highlighting their impact on business formation, economic growth, and personal freedoms.

Policy Brief

Cutting Red Tape in the States: A Menu of Options

James Broughel

How regulation shapes everyday life, affects economic growth, and what policymakers can do to reduce its burdens.

Expert Commentary

Federal Regulatory Budgeting Would Boost Economic Growth

Patrick McLaughlin and Andrew Blackburn

A recent regulatory budgeting bill could turn cumulative regulatory costs into a boost for the economy. 

Expert Commentary

Deregulatory Reform, Not Antitrust, Is Key To A Vibrant U.S. Economy

Alden Abbott

Federal enforcers should return to prior bipartisan, less interventionist consumer-oriented antitrust. On a parallel track, the federal government should focus on deregulatory reform to drive a competitively vibrant faster-growing American economy.

Expert Commentary

Federal Regulatory Reform Will Benefit All Americans

Alden Abbott

The next president, whether a Democrat or a Republican, should place a high priority on federal regulatory reform, in order to promote good jobs, vibrant firms, and a stronger American economy.

Expert Commentary

Regulations' Enormous Costs Give DOGE an Enormous Opportunity

Veronique de Rugy

By one account, regulations cost American households over $15,000 per year. Here's hoping DOGE can help.

Expert Commentary

Abolish the Securities and Exchange Commission

Veronique de Rugy

Despite its enormous budget and vast regulatory powers, the agency has failed to detect major frauds while wasting time and money on relatively useless disclosures.

Get in Touch

Media and Outreach
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Mercatus scholars regularly brief staff at the federal, state, and local levels. To schedule a meeting, please email Jessica Paska.

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