Workshop on Effects of Environmental Regulation on Industrial Compliance Costs and Technological Innovation Held at Washington, DC. on September 10-11, 1981: Edited Proceedings

摘要

Workshop participants focus on four questions: (1) Can existing methods provide reliable estimates of the costs of particular regulations; (2) Do these methods tend to overestimate or underestimate regulatory costs; (3) Can the aggregate costs of government regulation be managed; and (4) What are the implications for those charged with implementing a central regulatory systems. Workshop participants agree that there are gaps in data and a lack of acceptable methodology to provide valid cost estimates for individual regulations, industrial sectors, or the economy as a whole. They conclude that the estimation of the cost of environmental regulation is still in the experimental stage, as is the estimation of benefits. It is suggested that the Office of Management and Budget function in three roles: (1) as an advocate for efficiency; (2) as a challenger of agencies' programs and proposals; and (3) as an advocate for methodological improvement.