This book examines the calculation and evaluation of regulatory costs by regulators in accordance with a legislative mandate. A serious limitation in that enterprise, the possibility of technological change and innovation, often compromises those efforts and has long been under-appreciated in standard ‘cost-benefit analysis.’ Regulators who study the inducement of innovation and the avoidance of regulatory costs by the regulated often find significant cost-saving opportunities, leading to more stringent and more effective risk governance. Ultimately, the weighing of costs in this more elaborate model is more than simple welfare maximization. It views regulatory costs as important to society for a range of reasons, some grounded in fairness and some in deliberative process values, as a society seeks to minimize all costs over time.

The Code of Federal Regulations is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government.

In this book, Craig A. Leisy provides a concise history of weights and measures regulation in the United States from the early 20th century up to the present day. Written for academic and professional readers, Leisy describes basic terms and concepts, the origins and history of weights and measures laws, weights and measures regulation, the economics of regulation, key enforcement cases, landmark legal decisions, the effects of public policy, and a forecast on the future of weights and measures regulation. He also discusses the impact of weights and measures regulation on both producers (sellers) and consumers (buyers) in the marketplace. The book also features a new 2019 survey of state weights and measures regulatory programs, an introduction to the economics of weights and measures regulation, a case study of the municipal weights and measures regulatory program in Seattle, Washington, details of a major gasoline dispenser fraud case in Los Angeles County, and landmark legal cases related to net contents of packaged goods. Modern Weights and Measures Regulation in the United States is the only book on this subject from the perspective of a former long-time weights and measures regulatory official.