By Caleb Taylor Do occupational licensing regulations affect the amount of business establishments within states? The answer is “yes,” according to a forthcoming paper entitled “Occupational Licensing Effects on Business Establishments” co-authored by ACRE Undergraduate Research Fellow Elsa Mattson. According to the abstract of the paper: This paper investigates the effects of state occupational licensing […]
Legislators Examine Acupuncture, Sprinkler Fitter Licenses
By Alex Kanode Occupational licensing has increased dramatically in the past 70 years. In the 1950s, only 5% of the US workforce had to have a license before they could work, while today 25% have a license. Occupational licensing is when the government sets a list of requirements, such as education, experience and fees, that […]
To Lure Businesses, Lower Burdens, Economist Says
By Caleb Taylor The costs of getting government permission slips to work affect where businesses in certain industries set up shop, said Dr. Alicia Plemmons at an ACRE Speaker Series event on Nov. 19. Plemmons is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Economics & Finance Department at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She is also an […]
Licensing Sunset Reviews Begin
By Alex Kanode Occupational licensing has been an increasingly hot topic across the US, and Arkansas is no exception. A 2018 report from the Occupational Licensing Advisory Group stated that Arkansas had a whopping 310 licenses, 51 certificates, and 35 registrations. In order to evaluate these occupations, the 2019 Arkansas Legislature passed Act 600, which created […]
Is the sun setting on Arkansas’s high occupational licensing burden?
By Caleb Taylor ACRE Policy Analyst Alex Kanode was quoted in a recent article and wrote an op-ed in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette discussing a recent change in how the state evaluates its licensing laws. Act 600, also known as The Red Tape Reduction Sunrise and Sunset Act, passed both the House and Senate with no […]
How Markets Protect You from Bad Haircuts
By Alex Kanode Last month, a bill was filed in the Arkansas Senate that would delicense barbers and make them pay a $50 fee and a $2,000 surety bond to the Department of Health. A surety bond is an agreement between the practitioner and the board that the practitioner will follow the rules. This agreement […]
Arkansans’ Occupational Licensing Burdens May Lighten
By Caleb Taylor Arkansas’s lower income workers face some of the heaviest licensing burdens in the country. That hurts job seekers, entrepreneurs, and consumers. These regulations also disproportionately harm military spouses, ex-offenders, minorities and immigrants. But new legislation could lead to better rules and more opportunities for Arkansans. House Bill 1527, or the Red […]
Updated regulations could mean a fresh chance for Arkansans to thrive
By Alex Kanode The Arkansas Department of Corrections reports that there are almost 18,000 prisoners in the state. For a state of our size, this is a huge number. One reason is that released prisoners are more likely to reoffend here than in other states. This is known as our “recidivism rate”. One cause of […]
How do state licensing rules affect property crime rates?
By Caleb Taylor When occupational licensing laws make it hard for people, especially young people, to get jobs, that may lead to the “motive and opportunity” to commit property crimes. That’s the groundbreaking research result from UCA Associate Professor of Economics and ACRE Scholar Dr. Thomas Snyder and UCA graduate student Saliou N. Ouattara in […]
ACRE Director Assists St. Louis Hair Braiders In Licensing Lawsuit
By Caleb Taylor Should you need a license to braid hair? That’s the question two St. Louis businesswomen are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider. UCA Associate Professor of Economics and ACRE Director Mitch Mitchell is a contributor, along with five other public choice scholars, on an amicus brief in the case of Ndioba […]