Economic Liberty Research Reports
Economic Liberty
The Power of One Entrepreneur
New York City commuter van owner Hector Ricketts battled the politically powerful and heavily subsidized public buses for years. Despite overwhelming odds against him, Hector continues to grow his “dollar van” business.
Economic Liberty
The Power of One Entrepreneur
An African hair braider from Tupelo, Miss., Melony Armstrong successfully challenged an anti-competitive licensing law in her state and has grown into an inspiring economic force who brings hope and opportunity to her community.
Economic Liberty
The Power of One Entrepreneur
Seattle-area bagel businessman Dennis Ballen’s thriving enterprise was almost driven out of business by a local law that barred him from advertising his business. He joined with IJ to fight for his First Amendment rights…
Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing
Blooming Nonsense
For more than a decade, Monique Chauvin has owned and operated one of the most popular and recognized floral shops in all of New Orleans. Her work is regularly featured in magazines, and her store…
Economic Liberty
Bureaucratic Barbed Wire
Texas has a unique heritage of inspiring entrepreneurs. But the state has been restricting the economic liberty long enjoyed by its citizens.
Economic Liberty
Regulatory Field
Want to create a job in Chicago? It is not that easy. Especially in such tough economic times, people may be shocked to discover the lengths to which the city of Chicago and the state…
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Interior Design | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech
Designed to Exclude
Americans used to be free to practice interior design work and succeed or fail based solely on their skills. But, to the detriment of consumers and would-be entrepreneurs, that is changing. The American Society of…
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Interior Design | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech
Designed to Mislead
Do people who design interiors “mislead” the public when they call themselves “interior designers” without government permission? Industry insiders advocating greater regulation say yes, but practicing interior designers who simply want to accurately describe what…
Economic Liberty | Occupational Licensing
Regulation through titling laws: A case study of occupational regulation
This case study examines a form of occupational regulation infrequently examined in academic literature – titling laws. These laws regulate who may legally use a phrase, or title, to describe their work to the public.
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Interior Design | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech
Misinformation & Interior Design Regulation
This report responds to a purported rebuttal of the Institute for Justice’s research on interior design regulations and details how its author, an advocate of increased regulation, fails to provide any evidence of the need…
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Interior Design | Occupational Licensing | Occupational Speech
Designing Cartels
This report examines titling laws, little-known regulations that require people practicing certain professions to gain government permission to use a specific title, such as “interior designer,” to describe their work. Although titling laws receive little…
Economic Liberty
Brightening the Beacon
This report presents concrete actions that can be taken by the city of San Diego, the state of California and business leaders-to open opportunities and substantially strengthen the region's economic base.
Economic Liberty
One Test, Two Standards
Most of us have a drawer or a closest in our home where we put things that are not important enough to have their own place but are not quite worthless enough to throw away…
Economic Liberty
The Land of 10,000 Lakes Drowns Entrepreneurs in Regulations
This study shows how Minnesota’s government-imposed regulatory barriers block the path to the American Dream and how these barriers can be removed.
Economic Liberty | Hair Braiding
A Dream Deferred
Hair braiding provides outstanding economic opportunities, but licensure requirements in many states have given mainstream cosmetologists a near monopoly.
Economic Liberty
No Such Thing
The original legal definition of insanity is the inability to tell right from wrong.1 So it is the first irony of the “rational” basis test that it is, according to that definition, insane. The word…
Economic Liberty
Entrepreneurship in the Emerald City
This study examines the effects of regulation on entry into several occupations in Washington state and, specifically, the greater Seattle area.
Economic Liberty
Burdensome Barriers
If set free from burdensome and needless regulations, Arizona entrepreneurs would find it easier to open new businesses. When government regulation are necessary, they should be highly circumscribed, easily understandable and narrowly tailored to achieve…
Economic Liberty
Baltimore
Baltimore's small shops and entry-level entrepreneurs are a vital, year-round source of employment and opportunity for those struggling to gain a foothold on the economic ladder.
Economic Liberty
Is New York City Killing Entrepreneurship?
This report describes licensing and permitting laws and related regulations affecting entry-level entrepreneurship in New York City.
Economic Liberty
Entrepreneurship in San Antonio
Entrepreneurs in San Antonio need that Alamo spirit and perseverance to surmount obstacles placed in their way by state and local laws.
Economic Liberty
How Detroit Drives Out Motor City Entrepreneurs
Detroit is plagued by an intimidating bureaucracy, stifling and expensive rules, and a lack of easily obtained information. The government needs to get out of the way to allow the residents of Detroit to reach…
Economic Liberty
Entrepreneurship in Charlotte
Too often, the government gets in the way through anachronistic and anti-competitive regulations that are often enforced by bureaucrats who do not share Charlotte’s entrepreneurial spirit.
Economic Liberty
Running Boston’s Bureaucratic Marathon
Starting a small business in Boston often turns into a regulatory endurance test for would-be entrepreneurs.