Research Fellow @HooverInst; quantifying and studying regulation and deregulation. Better regulatory management leads to more abundance.
Joined January 2009
- Tweets 925
- Following 565
- Followers 1,110
- Likes 462
38 Photos and videos
Pinned Tweet
18 Dec 2024
Ten years ago, I made this video to help folks visualize overregulation. The wall of books of regulations that I piled up almost crushed me! And it has only gotten worse since then. @elonmusk @VivekGRamaswamy
Who wants to help make an updated video that shows regulatory accumulation through 2024? Probably need safety equipment, though, in case the pile of books actually falls on me this time.
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Patrick McLaughlin retweeted
“The United States has a preposterous amount of regulations in the book and we will know we are successful when there are less.” 🔥 @JamesBroughel
@reevebull, @JamesBroughel, @EconPatrick, and Caleb Taylor went through how AI technologies can streamline regulatory processes!
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May 21
What you pay for groceries includes the price of refrigeration, transportation, warehousing, energy, labor, packaging, and compliance. If government regulations raises the cost of any of those links, some of that cost eventually reaches the shelf.
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May 21
Some on the hill might benefit from learning how regulating a transportation network will increase the cost of consumer goods. @RepSamGraves has it right: more regulations --> higher prices. Especially true for freight transportation.
May 21
Why does everything cost more today?
It’s not just inflation. Regulation quietly acts like a hidden tax across the economy.
Every extra freight mandate, permitting delay, compliance burden, and transportation bottleneck raises costs for:
food
energy
housing
consumer goods
In Episode 169 of the Let People Prosper Show, I talk with @EconPatrick of the @HooverInst to break down how excessive regulation slows growth, weakens productivity, and raises prices for everyday Americans.
Good policy should focus on measurable outcomes—not symbolic rulemaking. 1/
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Patrick McLaughlin retweeted
May 21
I also talk with @EconPatrick of @HooverInst about:
✅ Why freight costs affect most products
✅ How regulatory accumulation hurts small businesses most
✅ Why Washington often confuses headlines with reform
✅ The hidden economic costs of transportation barriers
✅ What smarter, evidence-based regulation should look like
Watch/Listen/Show Notes here: vanceginn.substack.com/p/hid… 2/2
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May 21
I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Vance Ginn on his podcast, Let People Prosper. It's a rare treat to be able to get into the weeds on how to measure regulation and how that affects regulatory reform efforts--but we did! Check it out: open.substack.com/pub/vanceg…
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Patrick McLaughlin retweeted
May 20
How the Railway Safety Act Could Make Railroads Less Safe - excellent piece by @EconPatrick citing multiple studies that the RSA not only hurts rail through costly regulations, but unleashes a contagion of costs that slow the entire economy.
thedailyeconomy.org/article/…
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Patrick McLaughlin retweeted
Gains in safety historically came from innovation and operational flexibility on the ground.
Three new studies suggest Congress is approaching rail safety backward.
cc: @EconPatrick
thedailyeconomy.org/article/…
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Patrick McLaughlin retweeted
How and why should the Administrative Procedure Act be changed? Hear from Patrick McLaughlin @EconPatrick, Research Fellow at the @HooverInst, with host @Andrew_Langer.
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Most rail safety proposals assume:
more rules → more safety
But the historical pattern looks more like:
more flexibility → more investment → more safety
The Railway Safety Act of 2026 is built on the first model.
That’s a mistake. My latest column on the RSA below.
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Patrick McLaughlin retweeted
Apr 6
I am particularly proud of this interview with @EconPatrick from @HooverInst. We talk regulatory costs, CMMI, etc.
youtu.be/Kh0HrRM54fo?si=S9-l…
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Patrick McLaughlin retweeted
Mar 10
Learn something new every day.
@FERC has the highest count of general/broad delegations of authority in @PacificLegal's Nondelegation Project data.
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Feb 20
Rail safety needs follow-through, not symbolism. As Congress writes the surface transport bill, don't revive prescriptive mandates that freeze innovation. Judge policy by measurable safety outcomes and let proven tech deploy. washingtonexaminer.com/resto…
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Patrick McLaughlin retweeted
Jan 12
Wisconsin’s regulatory burden acts like a hidden tax on food, childcare, housing, and energy. WI is 2nd most regulated state in Midwest. If lawmakers are serious about affordability, the solution is clear: pass the Red Tape Reset
My Op-Ed w/ @EconPatrick
jsonline.com/story/opinion/2…
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18 Nov 2025
Regulation vs. innovation: My latest take on automated track inspection and the Federal Railroad Administration's ongoing indecision linked below in the final tweet.
But first this summary thread:
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18 Nov 2025
11/
The key point isn’t to blame any particular administration.
It’s to ask a simple, constructive question:
Why is a safety-enhancing technology with years of evidence still waiting for a green light?
And how can we design a system where the answer isn’t so dependent on incumbent pressure or agency bandwidth?
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18 Nov 2025
12/12
For more context, here’s my full take on how outdated rules and stakeholder pressures can hold back even proven safety tools:
thirdorder.substack.com/p/wh…
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