Re: LOCKSMITH'S GUILD WANTS L

[doumakes@netcom.com (Don Doumakes)]

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tcmay@netcom.com (Timothy C. May) wrote:

> Again, I'm not claiming anything about PGP making conventional doctors
> obsolete. Just the increased freedom of a wide range of services to be
> negotiated electronically, without benefit of official guild approvals.
>
> (This is an actual concern the professional organizations have. They worry
> about online medical diagnoses, about "unlicensed" consultants, and about
> data bases over which they have no jurisdiction.)

I certainly agree with your implication, that professional groups can
and sometimes do use licensing to restrain trade, with an eye toward
feathering their own nests.

But I don't buy your other implication, that it is a Good Thing to
unleash the unlicensed.  Licensing serves, or should serve, a public
good under the following conditions:  (a) consumers don't have the
information necessary to make an informed choice between professionals,
and (b) it is pretty fucking important that the job be done right.
Doesn't make any sense to license those who program video games.  DOES
make sense to license those who design skyscrapers.

Now, there are ways to alleviate the consumer's lack of knowledge.  In
my former racket (professional nursing), there is a lot of talk about
benchmarking:  comparing patient outcomes at different hospitals and
publicizing the results.  Market forces could then react to a nice,
measurable reputation.  But what about new, untested, solo
practitioners?  What about the architect whose buildings are all going
to fall down, ten years from now?  Even with well-publicized
reputations, the consumer doesn't have the necessary information to keep
from getting hurt.  In those circumstances, it's useful to have
standards, and a trusted public agency that certifies a person meets the
standards.

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______________________________________________________________________
Don Doumakes             Finger doumakes@netcom.com for PGP public key

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