Leading experts discuss the pros and cons of government regulations and explain how they affect everyday life for Americans.

Regulating Planesharing: Exploring Common Carriage and Expense Sharing

February 12, 2018

The legal fate of Flytenow, a ridesharing platform for small planes, was sealed by the FAA’s determination that it acted as a common carrier despite Flytenow’s claim that it was engaged in permissible expense sharing. What are common carriage and expense sharing? A variety of experts discuss the legal aspects of the Flytenow case.

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Regulating Planesharing: Flytenow and the FAA

January 8, 2018

Flytenow, founded by Alan Guichard and Matt Voska, was a ridesharing platform for small planes. Hailed as the “Uber of the Sky,” Flytenow aimed to serve as an online bulletin board to connect pilots of small planes with those willing to offset the pilots’ costs. However, the FAA deemed the online nature of Flytenow to be impermissible and Flytenow was unable to take flight. Learn the story of Flytenow in this Fourth Branch video.

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Should You Need a License to Massage a Horse?

December 5, 2017

In 2012, Celeste Kelly received a cease-and-desist letter from the Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board for engaging in horse massage therapy without being a licensed veterinarian. Hear Celeste’s story and learn more about occupational licensure in this Fourth Branch video.

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A License to Massage a Horse? (Preview)

November 6, 2017

In many states, animal massage requires a license. Watch this preview of our upcoming in-depth video on occupational licensing and the story of Celeste Kelly – an animal massage therapist located in Arizona.

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Regulation Over the Decades

October 24, 2017

How have the regulations emanating from Washington changed over the years? Chris DeMuth, Distinguished Fellow at the Hudson Institute, draws from personal experience as he discusses the transformation of the regulatory state over the decades.

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Can Regulations Come With Unintended Costs?

October 19, 2017

While the goals of regulations are often admirable, regulations may come with unintended consequences. Sometimes, regulations can hurt those they were intended to benefit. Susan Dudley, Director of the George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center, discusses these unintended costs and her work at the Regulatory Studies Center.

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Incentives for Regulators?

October 12, 2017

How do individual regulators operate within agencies to create and maintain regulations? Are regulators incentivized to pursue policy goals defined by Congress, their own policy preferences, or other factors? How does the regulatory institution itself contribute to policy goals? George J. Terwilliger, III examines these questions.

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Can Economic Incentives Produce a Good Outcome in Regulation?

October 2, 2017

Can providing market incentives produce desirable and more efficient outcomes in regulation? Chris DeMuth, Distinguished Fellow at the Hudson Institute, presents as a case study President Ronald Reagan’s permitting solution to the problem of lead in gasoline.

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How Do Regulations Get Made?

September 22, 2017

What is the mechanism by which regulations are developed, finalized, and updated? How can this process be improved? Susan Dudley, Director of the George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center, provides insight into these questions.

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Regulation from Washington: Exploring Unseen Costs

September 20, 2017

Regulations emanate from Washington and “affect every aspect of our lives, but we’re often unaware of it because they do so in hidden ways.” What are these effects and do they benefit American workers, companies, and consumers? A variety of experts on regulatory issues discuss this important question.

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