Episode · Freakonomics Radio · 2025-02-07
Books mentioned on 621. Is Professional Licensing a Racket?
Licensing began with medicine and law; now it extends to 20 percent of the U.S.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Licensing Racket
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.
Recommended“I appreciate how much leg work and brain work allensworth put into it again her book is called the licensing racket”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
Own book The Licensing Racket
“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”