This work deals with regulated occupations, for which laws and regulations set the entry requirements in terms of education and training. The extensive and the intensive margin of regulation are measured by a set of novel indicators, built on the basis of law provision. By using the Labor Force Survey, the work examines the extent of this phenomenon ant its effect on the Italian labor market.
In Italy about 5.4 million workers are employed in regulated professions, 24% of total employment, 35% more than in the early nineties. The entry rate is lower than in other occupations and, other observables being equal, wages are higher. Liberalizations passed on 2011-2012 lead to an increase in entry and to a significant reduction of the wage premium of the incumbents.
Published in 2021 in: International Review of Law and Economics, v. 66, pp.
