Introduction

This chapter outlines the contents of the book, which assess the case for reforming occupational licensing in the legal, medical, and finance professions. It previews that occupational licensing of all these professions in the form of training and certification requirements has created barriers to entry for workers entering the profession. Those barriers can limit competition, raise service costs, and restrict consumer access to essential services. At the same time, consumers have incurred these costs without being adequately protected from incompetent or unscrupulous service providers.