Time and Rulemaking: An Empirical Test of Theory
研究美国环保署规则制定中的延迟问题，检验法律、官僚和政治因素对规则出台时间的影响，发现现有理论能解释部分变异但效果不稳定。
Rulemaking is among the most important and controversial functions perfonned by public agencies. One of the most persistent and serious problems in rulemaking is delay in the issuance of rules. This research examines the factors influencing rulemaking by the Environmental Protection Agency. Theory directs us to legal requirements, bureaucratic elements, and political influences that may influence the passage of time in rulemaking. We develop a number of measures for each of these variables to determine their individual and combined effects on delay in rulemaking. While our models do account for a substantial amount of the variation in the time it takes to issue rules, their performance is erratic and much remains to be explained. Existing theory does offer more important insights into delay in rulemaking but more work is needed to refine important variables and to uncover forces that have yet to be identified.