To examine the hypothesis that occupational licensure is primarily a restrictive device to protect those licensed from competition, analysis focused on the licensure of non-professional occupations in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, covering 36 licenses issued by the three states for 12 occupations (e.g. electricians, barbers,…

Over the past four decades the yearly acceptance rate to U.S. medical schools has remained fairly constant at about 50 percent. Each year, substantial numbers of persons cannot continue formal training toward their occupational goals. In a sense, these individuals represent certain intellectual and financial losses to society in general, and to…