On the surface, reforming occupational licensing to make it easier for workers to move across state lines sounds like a good thing. And the policy is good, but the timing makes the proposal very outdated. The policy initiative would have been innovative four years ago, but today it is more old hat.
As we at the Knee Regulatory Research Center have documented, there are now 26 states that have passed some form of universal recognition. Universal recognition eliminates the friction that occupational licensing creates for workers and entrepreneurs working across state lines. When universal recognition is implemented properly, states trust the licensing authorities from other states to do their job.
Continue reading at The Detroit News.
Edward Timmons, PhD, is a senior fellow at the Archbridge Institute and a service associate professor of economics and director of the Knee Regulatory Research Center at the John Chambers School of Business and Economics at West Virginia University. He is regularly asked to provide expert testimony in state legislatures across the US on occupational licensing reform and the practice authority of nurse practitioners. His work is heavily cited by the popular press, and he has authored numerous articles for media publications.
Economics of Flourishing
On the surface, reforming occupational licensing to make it easier for workers to move across state lines sounds like a good thing. And the policy is good, but the timing makes the proposal very outdated. The policy initiative would have been innovative four years ago, but today it is more old hat.
As we at the Knee Regulatory Research Center have documented, there are now 26 states that have passed some form of universal recognition. Universal recognition eliminates the friction that occupational licensing creates for workers and entrepreneurs working across state lines. When universal recognition is implemented properly, states trust the licensing authorities from other states to do their job.
Continue reading at The Detroit News.
Edward Timmons
Edward Timmons, PhD, is a senior fellow at the Archbridge Institute and a service associate professor of economics and director of the Knee Regulatory Research Center at the John Chambers School of Business and Economics at West Virginia University. He is regularly asked to provide expert testimony in state legislatures across the US on occupational licensing reform and the practice authority of nurse practitioners. His work is heavily cited by the popular press, and he has authored numerous articles for media publications.
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