Licensure

rdf:langString Licensure

rdf:langString Licensure means a restricted practice or a restriction on the use of an occupational title, requiring a license. A license created under a "practice act" requires a license before performing a certain activity, such as driving a car on public roads. A license created under a "title act" restricts the use of a given occupational title to licensees, but anyone can perform the activity itself under a less restricted title. For example, in Oregon, anyone can practice counseling, but only licensees can call themselves "Licensed Professional Counselors." Thus depending on the type of law,practicing without a license may carry civil or criminal penalties or may be perfectly legal. For some occupations and professions, licensing is often granted through a professional body or a licensing board composed of practitioners who oversee the applications for licenses. This often involves accredited training and examinations, but varies a great deal for different activities and in different countries. Occupational licensing has the strongest public support for activities whose incompetent execution would be a health or safety threat to the public, such as practicing medicine. Licensing of low-risk businesses like florists and hair braiding salons is more controversial because licensing is inherently a form of restraint of trade. It creates a barrier to entry preventing some people from practicing the profession, benefiting existing licensees by reducing competition. This can harm consumers by raising prices and reducing innovation by new market entrants, and may slow overall economic growth. Competition law can conflict with licensing practices if the licensing body favors its own licensees in ways that do not clearly protect the public. Alternatives to individual licensure include requiring that at least one person on a premises be licensed and oversee unlicensed practitioners, permitting of the business overall, random health and safety inspections, general consumer protection laws, and deregulation in favor of voluntary private certifications or free market mechanisms such as customer review sites.