Have Increased Regulations Made the U.S. Less Competitive?

A new study suggests that increasing regulation may be contributing to a decline in American competitiveness. Although the authors do not provide any proof of causation between increased regulatory burdens and decreased competitiveness, they review other studies and conclude that “the available statistical evidence, on balance, tends to show that regulations, particularly in product and labor markets, harm productivity performance.” And productivity performance, they note, is closely tied to American international competitiveness