Econ Journal Watch

Scholarly Comments on Academic Economics

Occupational Licensing: Scant Treatment in Labor Texts

by E. Frank Stephenson, Erin E. Wendt

*Frank Stephenson* is an associate professor of economics at Berry College in Rome, Ga. where he teaches classes in public economics, sports economics, and law and economics. His email is efstephenson@berry.edu.

*Erin E. Wendt* is a senior at Berry College where she is majoring in economics with minors in government and mathematics. Her primary interest is economic development and she plans to pursue a doctorate in economics after graduation. She is a native of O

Abstract

We review the literature on occupational licensing and its importance as a labor market institution. We examine five labor economics texts and find that their coverage of occupational licensing is either scant or nonexistent. We speculate on why textbooks fail to treat the topic adequately.