By Caleb Taylor Arkansas legislators just wrapped up their first round of sunset reviews of Arkansas’s occupational licenses. What changes are in store? A just-released policy statement, “Occupational Licensing and Arkansas’s Act 600,” by ACRE Economic Policy Analyst Alex Kanode discusses the reforms and missed opportunities of the Arkansas Legislative Council’s Occupational Licensing Review Subcommittee’s […]
Severe Licensing Rules Hurt Economic Opportunity During Recessions
By Caleb Taylor Did a state’s occupational licensing requirements affect business creation during the Great Recession? “U.S. State Occupational Licensing: Measuring its Impact on Business Establishments during the Great Recession” co-authored by ACRE Policy Analyst Alex Kanode, ACRE Scholar and UCA Associate Professor of Economics Dr. Thomas Snyder and ACRE Undergraduate Research Fellow Elsa Mattson […]
How to Prepare Arkansas for the Next Recession
By Caleb Taylor Arkansas’s small businesses are still feeling the effects of the economic downturn from COVID-19, ACRE Director and UCA Associate Professor of Economics Dr. David Mitchell said in a speech to about 25 Conway Kiwanis Club members at Larry’s Pizza on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Mitchell said the Natural State could be better prepared […]
Missouri Licensing Law a Good Example for Arkansas
By Caleb Taylor Should Arkansas follow Missouri’s lead on occupational licensing? ACRE Policy Analyst Alex Kanode and ACRE Scholar and UCA Associate Professor of Economics Dr. Thomas Snyder discussed in “Show-Me the way” (published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on October 22) a recent occupational licensing reform bill passed by the Missouri legislature, known as universal […]
Reducing Barriers to Health
By Ryan Jackson According to the Center for Disease Control, 65 year old adults have lower life expectancy in Arkansas than in the vast majority of other states. Given the plight of our elderly, our state’s seniors would benefit from policies that improve the healthcare they receive. For instance, a state policy that reduces the […]
Barber Licensing in Arkansas Could Use a Cut
By Tanner Corley We all hate when we get a bad haircut, but should the State of Arkansas be mandating that barbers receive 1,500 hours of training, pass an exam, and pay a fee? In Arkansas, anyone who would like to cut hair must meet these requirements. In March of 2019, State Sen. John Cooper […]
Undergraduate Research Fellow Presents at Virtual Conference
By Caleb Taylor ACRE Undergraduate Research Fellow Tanner Corley presented his research at the virtual Knee Center Occupational Licensing Conference on May 29. Corley received feedback from other conference participants and economists from a variety of policy groups including Dr. Morris Kleiner, a nationally recognized expert on occupational licensing, professor, and AFL-CIO Chair in Labor […]
ACRE Student Spotlight: Ryan Jackson
By Caleb Taylor Does the occupational licensing of nursing home administrators affect the quality of care of nursing home residents? A forthcoming paper by ACRE Undergraduate Research Fellow Ryan Jackson and ACRE Economic Policy Analyst Alex Kanode examines this question. Jackson is a part of ACRE’s Research Fellowship Program. In this program, students work with […]
Sunset Review of Occupational Licenses In Arkansas Continues
By Alex Kanode On January 13th, the ALC Occupational Licensing Review Subcommittee met to discuss their recommendations from the December meeting and bring forward more recommendations. The subcommittee is tasked by law with determining and implementing the least restrictive form of occupational authorization to protect consumers from significant and substantiated harms to public health and […]