Articles

WSJ applauds White House report on occupational licensing, sorta

September 01, 2015 | By TIMOTHY SANDEFUR

The Wall Street Journal‘s editorial page applauds the White House’s recent report on the problems with occupational licensing, though it does so grudgingly: “Liberals are slowly discovering that the regulatory state they helped create undermines job creation and income growth, in particular for the least skilled and educated worke ...

Articles

Look how many people have to get government permission just to have a job

August 06, 2015 | By TIMOTHY SANDEFUR

Last week’s White House report on occupational licensing laws details some offers some disturbing information about how these laws restrict economic opportunity for entrepreneurs, and raise the cost of living for consumers. Some highlights: More than a quarter, and possibly a third, of all Americans need some form of government license to do ...

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White House licensing report : what about the Competitor’s Veto?

August 05, 2015 | By TIMOTHY SANDEFUR

One thing the White House’s report on occupational licensing laws unfortunately left out completely is Competitor’s Veto laws: laws that forbid people from entering a business not because they are unskilled or unqualified, but solely and explicitly because existing businesses don’t want competition. While other kinds of occupation ...

Articles

White House licensing report : one bad recommendation

August 04, 2015 | By TIMOTHY SANDEFUR

The new report from the White House about the problems with occupational licensing laws is a great step forward, given how little attention is paid to the fundamental human right of every person to earn a living without unreasonable government interference. But among the report’s recommendations, one stands out as positively bad—in fact, po ...

Articles

White House licensing report : what can the feds do to protect the right to earn a living?

August 03, 2015 | By TIMOTHY SANDEFUR

Last week, the Obama Administration released a report on the effects of occupational licensing, and calling for reforms that would better protect the rights of entrepreneurs and workers to earn a living without unreasonable government interference. This is a gratifying development: licensing laws often bar the nation’s hardest-working people ...