Summit Shaw
Research Mentor(s): Devin Judge-Lord
Mentor Department:
Authors: Summit Shaw, Devin Judge-Lord
Session: Session 3 (11:00am – 11:50am)
Presentation Type: Poster 109
Abstract
The public comment period is a critical phase in federal regulation development, providing individuals and organizations the opportunity to express their views on proposed policies. This research examines how advocacy groups and other companies impact policy outcomes through public comments by assessing their varying degrees of success in shaping final regulations. By coding public comments from regulations.gov, we identify key patterns in how advocacy groups and coalitions influence policy outcomes. Through case studies and policy document coding, we observe variations in advocacy effectiveness across different administrations, all in relation to government agencies ranging from the U.S. Department of Energy to the Department of Agriculture. My findings from analyzing these rules illustrate a broader trend in the data. Our findings reveal that the verbiage within public comments correlates with regulatory and rule outcomes. In particular, those with substantial legal and technical knowledge tend to have a greater influence on regulatory decisions compared to public interest groups. Additionally, the presence of organized pushback on certain regulations significantly affects coalition success. These findings highlight the extent to which government responsiveness to public comments shifts based on the variety of policies that receive pushback. Overall, this study contributes to the broader understanding of regulatory advocacy by revealing disparities in influence during the rulemaking process. While public comment periods are intended to democratize policymaking, our findings suggest that well-resourced groups often dominate these discussions. Future research could involve refining AI-based coding techniques to successfully identify and analyze policy documents to connect them to their policy influence. By shedding light on these issues, this research aims to inform efforts to promote more equitable executive-branch policymaking.
