Occupational licensing

Occupational licensing is the process of obtaining permission from a government to practice a profession or trade. According to S. David Young, "today at least a fifth, and perhaps as much as a third, of the work force is directly affected by licensing laws" in the United States. Library of Economics and Liberty article on occupational licensing

According to Morris Kleiner: "Occupational licensing has either no impact or even a negative impact on the quality of services provided to customers by members of the regulated occupation. Additionally, as occupations become licensed, members of regulated occupations see their earnings go up." A Primer on Occupational Licensing from the Institute for Justice

According to Wikipedia: "Regulatory capture occurs when a state regulatory agency created to act in the public interest instead acts in favor of the commercial or special interests that dominate in the industry or sector it is charged with regulating." Wikipedia article on Regulatory Capture