Paper Number: 2001-03
Document Date: 11/2001
Author(s): David Dole
Subject Area(s): Economic Impacts; Economic Damages/Benefits
Keywords: economic impact analysis; regulatory economics; small business economics; regulatory flexibility act; small business regulatory enforcement fairness act
Abstract: Small firms are an important part of any economy, since they generate a large proportion of an economy's new jobs. Despite their apparent vitality, though, small firms are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of government regulation. Analyzing the impact of regulation on small firms is especially important for federal agencies in the U.S., since federal law requires agencies to conduct such studies. This study sets forth a simple economic theory of regulatory impact, and presents some tools that a regulatory body can use to evaluate the potential impact of a new regulation on small firms.
This paper is part of the Environmental Economics Working Paper Series.
You may need a PDF reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA’s About PDF page to learn more.- Measuring the Impact of Regulation on Small Firms (PDF)(48 pp, 923 K, 11/2001)