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About the Author(s)

Peter Q. Blair photo

Peter Q. Blair is a member of the faculty at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where he codirects the Project on Workforce. An NBER research associate affiliated with the Economics of Education Program, he is the principal investigator of the Blair Economics Lab, a multi-university collaboration that focuses on supply-side issues in higher education, the effects of occupational licensing on labor market discrimination, and the link between residential segregation and educational outcomes. Four graduates of his lab are now in tenure-track roles in economics departments.

In addition to his scholarly work, Blair served as a volunteer economist with the Council of Economic Advisers during the Biden-Harris presidential transition. He is an active member of his local church, where he mentors graduate students.

Blair received his PhD in applied economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, his master’s in theoretical physics from Harvard, and his bachelor’s degree in physics and mathematics from Duke University. He is the youngest of seven sons and got his start understanding markets by selling fruit and vegetables with his brothers in the Nassau Straw Market in the Bahamas.

Endnotes

1. For data on the US, “Analyzing the Labor Market Outcomes of Occupational Licensing,” Gittleman M, Klee M, Kleiner M. Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society 57(1), January 2018, pp. 57–100. For data on the EU, “Occupational Licensing in the EU: Protecting Consumers or Limiting Competition?” Pagliero M. Review of Industrial Organization 55(1), June 2019, pp. 137–153.   Go to ⤴︎
2. The Glasgow Edition of the Works and Correspondence of Adam Smith, Smith A. 1776; An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Smith A. Campbell R, Skinner A, Todd W, editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1976.   Go to ⤴︎
3. Income from Independent Professional Practice, Friedman M, Kuznets S. New York: National Bureau of Economic Research, 1945.   Go to ⤴︎
4. How Much of a Barrier to Entry is Occupational Licensing?” Blair P, Chung B. NBER Working Paper 25262, revised December 2018, and British Journal of Industrial Relations 57(4) December 2019, pp. 919–943.   Go to ⤴︎
5. Does Occupational Licensing Reduce the Effectiveness of Customer Search on Digital Platforms?” Blair P, Fisher M. NBER Labor Studies Program Meeting, March 2022.   Go to ⤴︎
6. Occupational Licensing of Uber Drivers,” Hall J, Hicks J, Kleiner M, Solomon R. Unpublished working paper, American Economic Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, January 5–7, 2018; “Consumer Protection in an Online World: An Analysis of Occupational Licensing,” Farronato C, Fradkin A, Larsen B, Brynjolfsson E. NBER Working Paper 26601, January 2020; “Licensing and Service Quality: Evidence Using Yelp Consumer Reviews,” Deyo D. 2017.   Go to ⤴︎
7. Job Market Signaling,” Spence M. Quarterly Journal of Economics 87(3)1973, pp.355–374.   Go to ⤴︎
8. A Model of Occupational Licensing and Statistical Discrimination,” Blair P, Chung B. AEA Papers and Proceedings 1(111), May 2021, pp. 201–205.     Go to ⤴︎
9. Job Market Signaling through Occupational Licensing,” Blair P, Chung B. NBER Working Paper 24791, revised December 2020.   Go to ⤴︎

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