In this paper, we analyze the development of occupational regulation of massage therapists (MTs) in the United States and the effects of state licensing and certification upon their earnings and numbers. Our results suggest that MTs working in states with licensing receive an earnings premium of...

Occupational licensing in the US has grown rapidly in recent decades. Over most of this period, there has been little concern over, and scant legislative attention directed to, this phenomenon. Recently, however, concerns have arisen about the extent, the costs, and the job-destroying nature...

The past several years has witnessed a growing concern expressed by some economists and policymakers over the scope and strictness of occupational regulation — especially licensing. But so far studies of occupational regulation and its effects have focused on only a few countries, generally...

Occupational licensing directly affects nearly 30 percent of U.S. workers today and continues to grow in density and scope. In this article, we identify and analyze those rare instances when occupational licensing laws have been eliminated — what we refer to as “de-licensing.” We also...

Occupational licensing continues to receive attention from both researchers and policymakers. In this article we document and analyze cases of de-licensing in the US over the period 2015 to 2020. We find that the number of cases of successful de-licensing has significantly increased over that of...