All Essays

Week in Review

Week in Review

Congress passes coronavirus relief law, White House issues guidance on the outbreak, and more…

Persuading for Privacy

Persuading for Privacy

Pressure mounts for Congress to come to bipartisan agreement on privacy.

Will FDA Guidance Hasten Testing for COVID-19?

Will FDA Guidance Hasten Testing for COVID-19?

In the face of a massive viral outbreak, a federal regulator issues unprecedented guidance on validating COVID-19 testing.

Whose Children are These?

Whose Children are These?

A federal lawsuit could affect where American Indian children grow up.

The Regulatory Race Against a Public Health Crisis

The Regulatory Race Against a Public Health Crisis

The federal government responds to the coronavirus pandemic by amending its foreign quarantine rules.

The Value of a Statistical Life is Not Efficient

The Value of a Statistical Life is Not Efficient

Over-reliance on the VSL measure often leads to excessive consideration and regulation of risk.

Efficient Risk Regulations Do Not Increase Risks

Efficient Risk Regulations Do Not Increase Risks

As a practical matter, the VSL is successful in balancing the benefits and costs of regulation.

Putting the Horse Before the Cart in Cost-Benefit Analysis

Putting the Horse Before the Cart in Cost-Benefit Analysis

Regulators must measure welfare using transparent methods before determining the policies themselves.

The Long-Term Value of the Value of a Statistical Life

The Long-Term Value of the Value of a Statistical Life

The VSL is necessarily based on market preferences that accurately reflect society’s valuation of risks and benefits.

The Myopic Short-Termism of the Value of a Statistical Life

The Myopic Short-Termism of the Value of a Statistical Life

The primary drawback of the VSL is that it fails to account for future generations’ valuation of benefits and costs.

Failing to Think Properly About the Value of a Statistical Life

Failing to Think Properly About the Value of a Statistical Life

Using the VSL to measure benefits promotes the interests of individuals who are affected by regulation.

The Value of the Value of a Statistical Life

The Value of the Value of a Statistical Life

Analysts debate how agencies should measure the benefits of reducing mortality.