Tedy Okech, of Boise, Idaho, has braided hair almost her entire life. She was told she needed a cosmetology license to open a braiding salon in Idaho, requiring years of schooling and training and thousands of dollars. Otherwise, she would be fined or even arrested.
About one-quarter of Americans are now subject to these occupational licensing regulations in order to work — up from about 1 in 20 in the 1950s. Given these trends, are we all going to have to get permission from the government to work in our occupations? When Nobel laureate Milton Friedman was asked why so many occupations were licensed, he quipped that he was surprised that all workers did not seek to be regulated.
Continue reading at The Washington Times.
Morris M. Kleiner, PhD, is a labor policy fellow at the Archbridge Institute and one of the world’s leading labor economists. He is a professor at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. His work covers the role of institutions in labor markets and employment issues in enhancing productivity, with a specific focus on the role of occupational licensing for workers and consumers in the United States and other nations. Dr. Kleiner earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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.
Economics of Flourishing
Tedy Okech, of Boise, Idaho, has braided hair almost her entire life. She was told she needed a cosmetology license to open a braiding salon in Idaho, requiring years of schooling and training and thousands of dollars. Otherwise, she would be fined or even arrested.
About one-quarter of Americans are now subject to these occupational licensing regulations in order to work — up from about 1 in 20 in the 1950s. Given these trends, are we all going to have to get permission from the government to work in our occupations? When Nobel laureate Milton Friedman was asked why so many occupations were licensed, he quipped that he was surprised that all workers did not seek to be regulated.
Continue reading at The Washington Times.
Morris Kleiner
Morris M. Kleiner, PhD, is a labor policy fellow at the Archbridge Institute and one of the world’s leading labor economists. He is a professor at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. His work covers the role of institutions in labor markets and employment issues in enhancing productivity, with a specific focus on the role of occupational licensing for workers and consumers in the United States and other nations. Dr. Kleiner earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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.
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