The Organization of Economists in Regulatory Agencies: Does Structure Matter?

The paper builds on a working group report that led to the creation of the Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA), which was formally established in Dec 2018. The Working Paper concludes that organizational consolidation of economists into a single unit, much like the arrangement of the new OEA, can provide more independent and higher quality economic analysis within regulatory agencies.

[Dr. Ellig is former Chief Economist of the FCC and a Research Professor at the Regulatory Studies Center, George Washington University. Ms. Konieczny served as an intern at the FCC, and was assigned to assist Dr. Ellig. She is currently an economist at the Standards Evaluation and Analysis Division, United States Coast Guard.]