Every Memorial Day, we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice defending our country. But it should also inspire us to ensure that those currently serving, and their families, aren’t needlessly suffering. Right now, when active service members are transferred to a new base, we don’t just ask their families to move too — we often force their spouses to sacrifice working.
We ask a lot of our active-duty service members. Of course, we ask them to be willing to lay down their lives. But there are a lot of other smaller sacrifices they must endure during their service, such as stable living conditions. Every time a service member is given a new assignment, they are forced to move somewhere new.
Their families are also forced to uproot their lives. Moving is expensive and a hassle. You have to leave your friends and family and start all over again. And when military spouses work in a licensed profession, moving often means they are legally prevented from working.
When someone works in a licensed profession, which can range from physicians to nurses to cosmetologists, after moving to a new state, they have to reapply for licensure. The process is not as simple as transferring a driver’s license. It takes a lot of time and money to do. Any time there are slight differences in education or training requirements between states, licensed professionals have to redo education or training. Starting from scratch adds time and money, which can be prohibitive to finding work after a move.
Continue reading at The Washington Examiner.
Edward Timmons, PhD, is Vice President of Policy at the Archbridge Institute. He leads the institute's economic policy strategy, identifying focus areas and disseminating work to key stakeholders and policymakers. His own research focuses on labor economics and regulatory policy; he is regularly asked to provide expert testimony to U.S. states on occupational licensing reform and the practice authority of nurse practitioners. Dr. Timmons received his Ph.D. in economics from Lehigh University and his B.A. in economics and actuarial science from Lebanon Valley College. He publishes a weekly newsletter on Substack with the latest research and policy insights surrounding occupational licensing.
Conor Norris, PhD, is a regulatory policy fellow at the Archbridge Institute, director of labor policy at the Knee Regulatory Research Center, and a teaching associate professor of general business at West Virginia University. He has shared his research with state legislators and policymakers, authoring white papers and providing expert testimony to state legislatures on occupational licensing reform and the practice of telemedicine. Dr. Norris received his Ph.D. in economics from the Universidad Francisco Marroquín and his M.A. in economics from George Mason University.
Economics of Flourishing
Every Memorial Day, we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice defending our country. But it should also inspire us to ensure that those currently serving, and their families, aren’t needlessly suffering. Right now, when active service members are transferred to a new base, we don’t just ask their families to move too — we often force their spouses to sacrifice working.
We ask a lot of our active-duty service members. Of course, we ask them to be willing to lay down their lives. But there are a lot of other smaller sacrifices they must endure during their service, such as stable living conditions. Every time a service member is given a new assignment, they are forced to move somewhere new.
Their families are also forced to uproot their lives. Moving is expensive and a hassle. You have to leave your friends and family and start all over again. And when military spouses work in a licensed profession, moving often means they are legally prevented from working.
When someone works in a licensed profession, which can range from physicians to nurses to cosmetologists, after moving to a new state, they have to reapply for licensure. The process is not as simple as transferring a driver’s license. It takes a lot of time and money to do. Any time there are slight differences in education or training requirements between states, licensed professionals have to redo education or training. Starting from scratch adds time and money, which can be prohibitive to finding work after a move.
Continue reading at The Washington Examiner.
Edward Timmons
Edward Timmons, PhD, is Vice President of Policy at the Archbridge Institute. He leads the institute's economic policy strategy, identifying focus areas and disseminating work to key stakeholders and policymakers. His own research focuses on labor economics and regulatory policy; he is regularly asked to provide expert testimony to U.S. states on occupational licensing reform and the practice authority of nurse practitioners. Dr. Timmons received his Ph.D. in economics from Lehigh University and his B.A. in economics and actuarial science from Lebanon Valley College. He publishes a weekly newsletter on Substack with the latest research and policy insights surrounding occupational licensing.
Conor Norris
Conor Norris, PhD, is a regulatory policy fellow at the Archbridge Institute, director of labor policy at the Knee Regulatory Research Center, and a teaching associate professor of general business at West Virginia University. He has shared his research with state legislators and policymakers, authoring white papers and providing expert testimony to state legislatures on occupational licensing reform and the practice of telemedicine. Dr. Norris received his Ph.D. in economics from the Universidad Francisco Marroquín and his M.A. in economics from George Mason University.
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