One of my peeves has always been government-mandated licenses and certifications. Doctors, lawyers, accountants, and interior designers all require these kinds of certifications. In my opinion, such certification requirements have the following kinds of negative effects:
India requires certain training for doctors, but the number of years of training are significantly fewer than in the U.S.
- Stifling innovation. Getting certified typically requires immersing yourself, sometimes for years, in established ways of doing things and thus discourages people who thrive on innovation.
- Shortages. Certifications result in exclusive "clubs" that prosper by keeping competition low. The "clubs" typically help define the certification requirements, and the members of the club have a vested interest in making the requirements stringent.
- Expense. With shortages come expense. When you restrict the supply of people providing a service, the cost of the service stays artificially high.
India requires certain training for doctors, but the number of years of training are significantly fewer than in the U.S.
Comments
Don't like certification either, but think the medical affordability issues have other fundamental causes (e.g., weird malpractice payout and clubby patient insurance coverage).
If we have JD certification, why can't we maintain trial lawyer 'quality'? Oh. Right.