Day 2: The Economic Benefits of Deregulation

As mentioned in yesterday’s E-mail, President Jimmy Carter and Congress worked to deregulate several major industries during the late 1970s and early 1980s. These regulations set the table for the incredible economic growth of the 1980s and into the 1990s. As the following charts illustrate, deregulation produced significant benefits for consumers in terms of lower costs and increased options.

The following chart is from The Economist "High-Speed Railroading," July 22nd, 2010.

This chart is from Jonathan Chait and appeared in the The New Republic on August 5, 2010.

The following chart comes from Susan Carey and Scott McCartney and appeared in the Wall Street Journal on October 5, 2004.

As these charts clearly show, deregulation in a various industries has reduced consumer prices and increased competition in several major industries over the last three decades.