Regulatory inefficiency and redundancy are common pain points in the US, often burdening businesses and slowing economic growth. While federal reforms like the REINS Act remain under debate, many states have already implemented their own versions of regulatory overhauls—such as Red Tape Reduction Acts—without thorough evaluation. Despite a 2022 dataset tracking these state-level reforms, there has been little analysis to determine their effectiveness, leaving policymakers without evidence to guide future decisions.

The Research Opportunity

One way to bridge this gap could involve leveraging the 2022 dataset to study the real-world impact of state regulatory reforms. This research might focus on three key areas:

• Quantifying regulatory changes: Measuring whether reforms actually reduce the number or strictness of regulations.
• Categorizing effects: Identifying which sectors (e.g., environmental, labor) are most affected.
• Linking reforms to economic outcomes: Using quasi-experimental methods like difference-in-differences to assess impacts on growth, business creation, or job market performance.

The findings could then be distilled into clear policy recommendations, helping federal and state governments refine regulatory strategies.

Who Stands to Benefit?

Several groups could find value in this research:

• Policymakers at both state and federal levels, seeking data-driven reforms.
• Advocacy groups, who could use insights to support regulatory or deregulatory agendas.
• Academic researchers, looking for a rare comparative analysis of state-level interventions.

Since all stakeholders stand to gain from credible analysis, alignment around this project could be strong.

Execution and Feasibility

A phased approach might work best:

1. Supplement the 2022 dataset with additional economic indicators (e.g., Census Bureau, BLS data).
2. Apply statistical methods to isolate the effects of reforms while controlling for external variables.
3. Translate findings into policy briefs and partner with nonpartisan think tanks for wider dissemination.

An MVP could consist of a working paper analyzing just a few states to test the methodology before scaling up.

By systematically evaluating state-level regulatory experiments, this research could offer crucial insights to shape future policy debates—helping avoid ineffective reforms while amplifying what works.