This course will focus on the law and policy that determine the outcomes of the regulatory system with a focus on government rules seeking to protect public health, consumer and worker safety, consumer financial security, and environmental quality. It will involve detailed case studies of how agencies design interventions to achieve these goals, from notices of proposed rulemakings to notice and comment from the public at large to final rules and enforcement. It will cover the influence of lobbyists, the performance of cost benefit analysis, and statutory interpretation. The course is not duplicative of administrative law, which focuses on the review of regulatory decisions by the courts. Instead it will prepare students to participate in the regulatory process on behalf of agencies, private sector clients, and public interest groups.

Recommended: Administrative Law (While Administrative Law is not a prerequisite to this course, students who have taken it will get more from the course than those who have not.)