Book · 2025 · Business & Economics
The Licensing Racket
How We Decide Who Is Allowed to Work, and Why It Goes Wrong
Why people recommend it
The Licensing Racket by Rebecca Haw Allensworth is a legal study examining the power, reach, and shortcomings of professional licensing boards and how they restrict who is allowed to work. Stephen Dubner featured the book extensively on Freakonomics Radio, praising the legal scholar Rebecca Haw Allensworth for the extensive research and brainwork she put into the project. Dubner recommended the newly published work to listeners at the end of an episode, noting that while Americans like to think of their economy as an open and dynamic market, Allensworth shows how licensing boards often help bad actors stay protected and create unnecessary barriers to entry. During their discussions, Dubner highlighted Allensworth's background as a Vanderbilt University law professor who transitioned from writing journalism on the subject to publishing a comprehensive guide on how we decide who is allowed to work and why the system goes wrong. By quoting passages directly from the text regarding restrictions on practice and disciplinary actions, Dubner emphasized the book's critical perspective on professional guilds and regulatory overreach, making it a compelling recommendation for those interested in economic policy and labor markets.
Who recommended it
- Stephen Dubner Recommended
Stephen Dubner — 5 mentions
“Rebecca allensworth is a law professor at Vanderbilt University and she's written a book about Professional Licensing. We Americans like to think of our economy as open and dynamic. allensworth shows that in many ways it's not and that these licensing boards help too many bad actors stay in their professions and keep too many good ones out. and that's”
“she started writing some journalism on the subject and now she has published her book the licensing racket how we decide who is allowed to work and why it goes wrong”
“the legal scholar Rebecca allensworth spent years investigating the power reach and shortcomings of Professional Licensing boards here's how she puts it in her book the licensing racket when it came to barriers to entry and restrictions on practice boards went too far when it came to disciplining dangerous providers”
“I appreciate how much leg work and brain work allensworth put into it again her book is called the licensing racket”
“the legal scholar Rebecca Hall allensworth has just published a book called called the licensing racket how we decide who is allowed to work and why it goes wrong”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“say the name of your book the licensing racket how we regulate sorry okay it's a long subtitle I'm going have to do that one again okay the licensing R racket all right one more time the licensing racket how we decide who is allowed to work and how it goes wrong”