September 2026

Friday, September 25, 2026. 8:30 am  – 2:15 pm EDT

The Elliott School of International Affairs, 1957 E Street NW, 
State Room, 7th Floor

Join the GW Regulatory Studies Center on Friday, September 25, for a public forum with authors of our paper series on emerging technologies. Explore applications of algorithmic pricing, AI in agriculture, governance amid uncertainty, adaptive regulation, regulatory sandboxes for AI, and more. The event will feature a luncheon and keynote address by GW Provost Ed Balleisen.

Read the Working Papers:

This project was made possible through the support of Grant 63641 from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

Tuesday, November 17, 2026
The George Washington University, Washington, DC

The GW Regulatory Studies Center and BBB National Programs’ Center for Industry Self-Regulation (CISR), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, are pleased to announce the fourth annual Soft Law Summit. The 2026 Summit convenes leaders from business, government, academia, and civil society to explore how independent accountability frameworks, voluntary standards, and collaborative governance approaches are addressing today’s complex policy challenges. Join policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, and practitioners for a forward-looking discussion about the future of governance, accountability, and innovation.

The Regulatory Studies Center co-hosted the 4th annual Regulation Week conference September 3 with the FGV Rio Law School (Brazil). The theme, Financial Regulation in Transformation, explored digital finance and tokenization, financial intermediation, investor protection, negotiated rulemaking, and other developments in Brazilian and American financial regulation. Mel Gunewardena, director of the Office of International Affairs at the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, delivered the keynote address. GW professors Steven Balla, Susan Dudley and William Yeatman joined panels alongside academics and officials from Brazil’s leading law practices and financial institutions.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Risk Assessment and Cost-Benefit Analysis and the Regulatory Studies Center have launched a cooperative agreement focused on analyzing historical Regulatory Impact Analyses (RIAs) conducted by USDA. The project will assess and identify RIAs that exemplify best practices in benefit-cost analysis, which will help USDA identify strong examples of analysis that have successfully supported rulemaking. This work supports USDA’s goal to create a strong regulatory environment that supports U.S. agriculture.

Our team welcomes new and returning students, faculty and staff to the Foggy Bottom campus for another exciting academic year in the Trachtenberg School! Highlights in the regulatory space include a new cohort for the TSPPPA Graduate Certificate in Regulatory Policy & Practice and the Regulatory Policy concentration for the Master in Public Policy.

Stone Washington is a PhD candidate at the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration. His research focuses on economics, regulation and administrative law, and he has been a frequent collaborator with the Regulatory Studies Center. Read More >

September 1, 2026
Regulatory Insight by Finn Dobkin

With EO 14215 in effect, agencies previously independent of the executive branch, such as the Federal Trade Commission, will now have their significant rules reviewed by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). Given recent trends in the rulemaking volume at these agencies: How many additional reviews might be expected? Read More >

August 31, 2026
Public Interest Comment by Susan Dudley

By refocusing its resources away from complex and speculative modeling and toward transparent, ex post evidence and established welfare economics, DOE can ensure that its standards are truly “economically justified” and serve the public interest. Read More >

Susan Dudley and William Yeatman offered a regulatory webinar for the Nuclear Energy Institute, September 11, 2026. 

Susan Dudley took part September 9 in a convening of past OIRA officials hosted by Partnership for Public Service, Federation of American Scientists, and Recoding America. The group discussed the future of the Paperwork Reduction Act and explored principles and tradeoffs to consider in evaluating options for reform.  

William Yeatman and Susan Dudley offered a webinar on constructive and effective public commenting on proposed rules to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce August 26.

Steven Balla was quoted in Bloomberg: Trump's 401(k) Proposal Shows Evidence of Phony Public Support (August 13, 2026).

William Yeatman was quoted in The Christian Science Monitor: Project 2025: As Midterms Near, Trump’s Window for Action Might be Closing (August 6, 2026).

Listen to our podcast for insights on regulatory trends. Recent discussions have explored the Congressional Review Act, stablecoin regulation and the GENIUS Act, effective public engagement strategies for federal agencies, and more.