Regulatory Reform and the U.S. Manufacturing Sector

The Focus Is On Improving Efficiency

by Thomas A. Hemphill

Thomas A. Hemphill is assistant professor of strategy, innovation and public policy at the University of Michigan-Flint. He earned his Ph.D. in business administration, with a primary field in strategic management and public policy and a secondary field in technology and innovation policy from The George Washington University.

The Bush administration, through the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OMB/OIRA), has shown renewed interest in regulatory reform as an important public issue, especially as it pertains to the nation’s manufacturing sector. On March 9, 2005, OMB/OIRA announced that Federal agencies will be taking practical steps of an administrative nature to reduce the cost burden on manufacturing firms operating in the United States by acting on 76 suggested reforms of federal regulations suggested by the public. Recommended actions range from gathering and reporting additional information to issuing modernized regulations, with reforms to be implemented through rulemaking procedures that include an opportunity for public participation.

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