Occupational Licensure- why we need it

`Often times, I find it’s hard to find points of contention with the authors of the books assigned to us given their authority and recognition within their field. As Nina would say, who am I to have an opinion when I have barely begun to explore the subject? These people are acclaimed for a reason and their ideas are obviously based on some deep considerations. Likewise, while reading Friedman I found myself agreeing with some points (especially regarding capitalisms capacity to promote diversity in thought in news media when compared socialism), but also not disagreeing with others because I didn’t know enough about the matter to make an opinion. This time, however, I was relieved to find something I could unashamedly disagree with, that being Friedman’s view on mandated licensing for professions.

Friedman notes how proponents of licensing argue on the grounds that without regulations, the interests of the public are at stake. On the other hand, Friedman contends that it is not the customers that demand the licensing but rather, the suppliers themselves who seek to keep competition low and do so by creating unnecessary barriers to entry. He notes how those heading the licensing boards are licensed members of the occupation, but questions the legitimacy of the qualifications and merits they set as requirements for entry into the field. He tries to show the absurdity of their requirements recalling how in 1952, a Texan statute mandated that pharmacists take an oath swearing they did not support communism. Should a person’s political views determine their ability to sell drugs? Of course not, but this isn’t a good example. Friedman should not forget his discussion on the Hollywood blacklist and remember that the market would find good pharmacists jobs even if they had to do it under different names.
I think certification, registration, and licensing are important for several reasons as it provides for 1) safety, both for the customer and for the professional; 2) uniformity in services and quality 3) observance of best practices; and 4) ethical guidelines. It would upset Friedman to know that I believe such licensing is needed for professions including restaurants, taxi cabs, pest controllers, potato growers, and hypertrichologists. I mention these lower skilled professions and not the more obvious examples where we all might agree licensing is necessary: medicine, dentistry, etc, to make a point. Personally, I feel it’s quiet clear why we need licensing in these professionals – you want restaurants owners to abide by some health regulations, you should have record of who’s driving people around the city (it protects against pirate taxis and kidnappings), you should expect the pest controller you hired to know what chemicals not to use around your children or pets, you’d like the potato growers to know that the industry mandates against the use of a cheaper pesticides because they causes hemorrhages, and you want your hypertrichologist to know it’s unethical to sell your hair to doll manufacturers.

Friedman specifically attacks medical organizations for limiting entry into the professions through caps on the number of students accepted into medical schools and the number of schools accredited. Personally, while I disagree with caps, I’m not convinced that lowering the standards for doctors is a sound idea, even if it means there’ll be more doctors around. If this were to happen, you would see a stratification of the medical industry where only the richest would have access to decent doctors. While some might argue that the poor currently have no access, period, we can’t overlook government sponsored clinics for the disadvantaged. I feel it’s better and more ethical to have the government subsidize decent medical care for the poor than to have the poor treated by the least qualified individuals, which they can afford.

On a lighter note, Friedman seems offended at the training barbers must go through and calls it “ a serious infringement on the freedom of individuals to pursue activities of their own choice”. Milty, you have to forgive me if I expect the person twirling sharp objects around my head to know how a little something about “barbering, hygiene… and sterilization”.