The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), charged since the days of Ronald Reagan with overseeing the activities of regulatory agencies, is a consistent target of attack from across the political spectrum. Critics on the right argue that OIRA doesn’t do enough to rein in “job-killing” bureaucrats, while critics on the left argue that OIRA stands in the way of life-saving environmental, public health, and safety protections.
Academics in law, economics, and political science have entered the fray. Some offer defenses and justifications of OIRA review, while others deliver harsh critiques. Both the institution of executive level regulatory review, and the substantive standard of cost-benefit analysis that is used, have been the subject of significant academic commentary.