A new study of occupational-licensing laws is out — and the results aren’t pretty for North Carolina. According to a report by the Archbridge Institute, which studies barriers to economic mobility, the Tar Heel State has the eighth-highest level of occupational licensing in the country. That’s higher than any of our neighboring states. Indeed, one...
Throughout the heated North Carolina Medicaid expansion debate, one word was repeated time and again: supply. Opponents of expansion cited the health care professional shortage as a serious concern that would be exacerbated if over 600,000 individuals were added to the Medicaid rolls. Thankfully, there are some policy reforms that can help alleviate the health-care...
Have you ever noticed how social reformers often want new government regulations to do away with behavior and outcomes that past government regulations helped create? For as much as they talk about the greed of capitalists and the power of government to change society, they seem to miss that people do change their behavior in...
Occupational licensing may have cost North Carolina more than 42,000 jobs and millions in economic losses, a new study from the Institute for Justice says. The study from the nonprofit, libertarian public interest law firm looked at the economic cost of occupational licensing across the country. According to the study, a conservative measure of lost...
Occupational licensing rules may be keeping people from moving across state lines and toward job opportunities, a new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests. University of Minnesota professors Janna E. Johnson and Morris M. Kleiner published a study linking state-specific licensing to reduced migration rates of people with jobs requiring licensing. The...
North Carolina leaders appear to pine for a medieval system that blocked the flourishing of freedom.
RALEIGH — Post-collision repair specialist Billy Walkowiak has suggested creating a new licensing board under the state’s Department of Insurance. State Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin isn’t ready to go that far, but he thinks the General Assembly should study the matter.
RALEIGH — Nearly a dozen licensing laws were before the General Assembly. If a bill targeting your occupation becomes law, and you engage in one of these activities for pay without a license, you could be guilty of a misdemeanor or a felony.
Can North Carolinians do without state-approved cartels cutting their hair, selling their goods at auction, and performing a variety of other services? Absolutely.
