Explaining Ossification: An Examination of the Time to Finish Rulemakings

Abstract:     
For decades, supporters of regulation have bemoaned the length of time it takes a federal agency to promulgate a final rule. This article uses a dataset of 435 regulations to examine first, how long the regulatory process actually takes, and second, what factors determine the length of time that it takes an agency to finish a regulation. I find that the number of comments that an agency receives on a proposed rule and whether the regulation is of general or particular applicability affect the length of time it takes to finalize a proposed rule (rules of general applicability take longer). Few of the regulatory procedures blamed for lengthening the regulatory process appear to have much of an actual effect on delaying regulations.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 28

Keywords: regulations, rulemaking, bureaucracy, ossification

JEL Classification: K20, K23

working papers series