Regulation of the Professions

Rethinking governmental licensing of higher education institutions

“…There is an extensive economics literature that (i) examines the theoretical arguments for and against occupational licensing, and (ii) empirically analyzes the real effects of such entry regulations in different occupations. See Curran (1998), Kleiner (2000), and Svorny (2000) for surveys of this literature. However, the negative-externality argument does not justify that state governments erect entry barriers for program providers, who wish to conduct business in markets for higher educational services.…”

“…Apart from private certification, which economists often present as a policy alternative to governmental licensing(Moore 1961;Friedman 1962;Beales 1998;Curran 1998;Svorny 2000), there are other privatesector mechanisms to make providers' information disclosure credible: e.g., seller reputation and private information intermediaries (see Sect. 5.2 below).…”

Further development of evidence-based coaching: Lessons from the rise and fall of the human potential movement

“…A profession is an occupational group that restricts membership only to those individuals who comply with certain requirements and standards (Cruess, Johnston, & Cruess, 2004). Although the status of ''profession'' was traditionally limited to the clergy, doctors, lawyers, professors and engineers (Curran, 1998), the 20th century saw an increasing number of occupational groups claim this status (e.g., nurses, accountants, pharmacists) and it is common for occupational groups (such as coaching) to at least aspire to professional rank and cachet (Beker, 2001).…”

“…It may not be. Indeed, laissez-faire economic theories suggest that all the decisions about the operation of a market should be made without the interference of governments or external agencies (Curran, 1998). As previously mentioned the coaching industry is currently unregulated and not subject to any form of external control (with the exception of any relevant consumer affairs legislation).…”