This Week in Occupational Licensing, December 6th

Rent Check

A new report from the Institute for Justice finds the indirect costs of occupational licensing through resource misallocation dwarf the costs of “deadweight loss.”

 

News and Commentary

1. Oklahoma commission examines state’s occupational licensing laws.  The debate followed the usual back-and-forth found in licensing debates, with proponents justifying the regulations on public safety grounds, while officials expressed skepticism. Senator Adam Pugh, an Air Force Veteran, added some well-needed nuance to the debate. “When we put 300 people on a Boeing 747, I want regulation,” said Pugh. But he also added that these regulations shouldn’t be so burdensome they prevent entry into a field.

2. The “uneasy” case against occupational licensing, parts I and II. We’ll have our own reply to these posts, but for a teaser, check out Niskanen Senior Fellow David Schleicher’s Twitter thread on the post.

I know one shouldn’t get worked up when people are Wrong On The Internet. But…this post @lpeblog about the case against the case against occupational licensing by @FrankPasquale and @sandeepvaheesan
is so frustrating I’m going to vent a bit. https://t.co/0F8ldbvvDB (1/..)

— David Schleicher (@ProfSchleich) December 5, 2018