This workshop was designed to begin to bridge the divide between academia and regulatory agencies by fostering a constructive dialogue between regulators from several agencies and scholars of regulation from universities across the country. Many scholars have done research on regulatory compliance and yet seldom share their results with regulatory agencies in an accessible way so that agencies can benefit from the insights of the research. Moreover, there are few opportunities for scholars to learn about the most pressing compliance issues confronting regulators to ensure their research addresses the most important problems. The workshop featured speakers from universities, government agencies, and non-profit organizations and provided time for open discussion among all participants. The agenda featured sessions focused on issues surrounding targeting potential violators, enforcing compliance, understanding and managing inspector discretion, and how agencies can leverage transparency and other stakeholders to improve regulatory compliance. The agenda also included panel discussions on future challenges in compliance, data resources available for studying compliance activities, new directions in academic research on compliance, and new agency initiatives. Discussions were held under Chatham House Rule.

The invitation-only workshop was co-organized by HBS Professor Michael Toffel and University of Maryland Professor Ginger Jin, and co-sponsored by the Maryland Center for Economics and Policy at the University of Maryland and the Harvard Business School, with additional funds provided by the US Department of Labor and the US Environmental Protection Agency.