Andrew Coulson of the Cato Institute adds an important piece of research to the school choice debate. In his latest study, “Do Vouchers and Tax Credits Increase Private School Regulation?”, Coulson found,

The study concludes that vouchers, but not tax credits, impose a substantial and statistically significant additional regulatory burden on participating private schools.

Why is this an important matter? As Coulson points out, “But some scholars fear a Catch-22: that the very policies intended to liberalize and expand the education marketplace may ultimately lead to its regulatory suffocation.” Regulatory concerns often divide conservatives and libertarians on the issue.

I wonder if it would be helpful to make a distinction between “regulatory suffocation” and “regulatory retribution”. From a policy standpoint, I think time is an important element in the debate. Do state agencies front-load regulation (retribution) or do they add regulation over time (suffocation)?