AUSTIN – The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Economic Freedom today released a paper by Center Director Bill Peacock and Research Associate Samuel Barr on the economic effects of occupational licensing laws. The paper, The Realities of Occupational Licensing, shows that licensing acts as a form of protectionism for those in licensed professions by restricting access to jobs and stifling job creation.
“With 29 percent of all jobs in the United States now requiring some form of license, the time has come to take a long and hard look at the economic consequences of licensing laws,” said Peacock. “Contrary to the claims of its supporters, licensing does not protect the public, but rather protects those in licensed professions from competition.”
“In this day and age there is now a wide range of services that greatly reduces the classical asymmetry of information between sellers and buyers,” said Barr. “With a wealth of information just a mouse click away, consumers have the resources available to make informed choices without relying on government bureaucrats to protect them.”
To read the full report, visit: http://txpo.li/realities-of-occupational-licensing
Bill Peacock is vice president of research and director of the Center for Economic Freedom at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
Samuel Barr is a research associate at the Center for Economic Freedom at the Texas Public Policy Foundation
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin, Texas.