Project description: An oral history project developed by Edward Balleisen that examines broad trends in regulatory governance since 1970.  Multi-session interviews conducted thus far have included two former OIRA administrators and two former regulators for the state of North Carolina.  The project is in ongoing development with new oral histories to be conducted each year.

Regulatory significance: Every interview addresses how informants came to understand the complex workings of regulatory institutions, the balance of technocratic expertise and democratic participation in regulatory policy-making, and the evolution of regulatory strategies and policy instruments, in conjunction with intellectual currents, shifting scientific and economic epistemologies, and wider faith in (or suspicion of) government.

Interview dates: 2012 –

Digital access: Transcripts and supplementary materials available through the Regulatory Oral History Hub

Series I: OIRA Administrators
Sally Katzen
John D. Graham

Series II : North Carolina
Robin W. Smith
Amy Pickle