Census of Regulatory Restrictions

Abstract

Ever since its introduction in 2012, RegData—the Mercatus Center’s database for quantifying federal regulation—has served as an objective tool for measuring regulations within a jurisdiction. In the decade since its launch, RegData has expanded significantly to cover several jurisdictions, both national and subnational. Using RegData, we compare the volume and other features of the regulatory landscapes of three large countries—Australia, Canada, and the United States—and their states and provinces. In addition to comparing the volume of regulations, we also discuss the complexity of the regulations, the industries that are affected by those regulations, and, in the case of the United States, the agencies that issue them.

Keywords: Regulations; RegData; United States; Australia; Canada; Regulatory Agencies; Regulated Industries

JEL Classification: K0, K1, K2, K23