Income inequality has become a prominent issue and a major political talking point. How should U.S. policymakers address income inequality concerns? Suggestions from experts and political pundits include increasing investment in higher education and wealth redistribution. Some have even gone so far as to suggest that the government provide more subsidies for higher education so that it becomes “free.”
In order to better understand wealth and income inequality, however, we need to examine how occupational opportunities for low-wage and entry-level workers impact income mobility. Expanded opportunities for low income workers could help them climb the income ladder, and by doing so realize the American Dream. A reduction in occupational opportunities might make that dream harder to realize. A new study that we co-authored examines the impact of a changing structure of low- to moderate-income occupational licensing and investigates the relationship between this changing structure and subsequent changes in absolute upward mobility and inequality.
Our study (co-authored with Andrew Meehan of Central Michigan University and John Hazenstab of Saint Francis University) examines the growth of licensing among 102 low- to moderate-income occupations referenced by the Institute for Justice. Licensing requirements for these occupations vary dramatically from state to state. For some occupations, licensing is relatively rare.
Continue reading at The Hill.
Edward Timmons, Associate Professor of Economics and Director of the Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation at St. Francis University, writes frequently on the history and rise of occupational licensing and it’s relation to economic mobility.
Economics of Flourishing
Income inequality has become a prominent issue and a major political talking point. How should U.S. policymakers address income inequality concerns? Suggestions from experts and political pundits include increasing investment in higher education and wealth redistribution. Some have even gone so far as to suggest that the government provide more subsidies for higher education so that it becomes “free.”
In order to better understand wealth and income inequality, however, we need to examine how occupational opportunities for low-wage and entry-level workers impact income mobility. Expanded opportunities for low income workers could help them climb the income ladder, and by doing so realize the American Dream. A reduction in occupational opportunities might make that dream harder to realize. A new study that we co-authored examines the impact of a changing structure of low- to moderate-income occupational licensing and investigates the relationship between this changing structure and subsequent changes in absolute upward mobility and inequality.
Our study (co-authored with Andrew Meehan of Central Michigan University and John Hazenstab of Saint Francis University) examines the growth of licensing among 102 low- to moderate-income occupations referenced by the Institute for Justice. Licensing requirements for these occupations vary dramatically from state to state. For some occupations, licensing is relatively rare.
Continue reading at The Hill.
Edward Timmons
Edward Timmons, Associate Professor of Economics and Director of the Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation at St. Francis University, writes frequently on the history and rise of occupational licensing and it’s relation to economic mobility.
Share:
Related Posts
Shapiro’s licensing reforms deserve attention this election season
No License? No Problem
Free Professionals From Regulatory Tangle