Pathway to a Profession: How Apprenticeships Could Reshape Illinois’ Beauty Service Industry

By Patrick Andriesen

05/28/2026

Occupational licensing requirements present one of the steepest barriers to low-income Illinoisans starting careers in beauty services. Illinois requires anyone seeking to become a barber, cosmetologist, nail technician or hair braider to obtain a state license, essentially a permission slip to work. Unlike 45 other states, Illinois offers only one pathway to licensure for each...

Illinois’ low social mobility: causes and cures

01/28/2025

Published Jan. 28, 2025 Illinois Policy Institute Center for Poverty Solutions, in partnership with the Archbridge Institute By Joshua Bandoch, Ph.D., head of policy, Illinois Policy Institute and Justin Callais, Ph.D., chief economist, Archbridge Institute EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A low-income person’s ability to move up in society is worse in Illinois than in any other Midwestern...

Unlocking Opportunity: How Occupational Licensing Reform Would Promote Equitable Empowerment in Illinois

By Josh Bandoch, Larry Han

10/16/2024

Published Oct. 16, 2024 Illinois finds itself at a crossroads: will it empower minorities and poor people to unleash their potential, or will it perpetuate an inequitable status quo? For far too many Illinoisans, opportunity is unfairly and unnecessarily out of reach. Illinois ranks in the bottom ten among all states in social mobility and...

Building not permitted: Building permits in Illinois are a barrier to housing affordability

By Joe Tabor

09/26/2024

Published Sept. 26, 2024 Illinois is in the midst of a housing affordability crisis. Over a third of residents are considered “burdened” by housing costs, meaning they pay over 30% of their income on costs related to housing. That is a greater portion of residents burdened by housing than any other state in the Midwest....

4 new occupational licensing laws remove barriers in Illinois

By Joe Tabor

09/05/2024

Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently OK’d four new laws that would expand the ability for professionals to practice in Illinois. While they are advancements, Illinois’ onerous occupational licensing system needs comprehensive reform.

TAGS: occupational licensing

Regulatory reform can make housing more affordable for Illinois families  

By Josh Bandoch, Joe Tabor

07/09/2024

Published July 9, 2024 America is facing a housing affordability crisis. According to a 2022 survey, 73% of Americans said the average person could not afford a home in their area, and 69% were worried about their children and grandchildren being able to afford a home. That’s unfair. Everyone deserves a good roof over their...

What does it take to get a building permit in Chicago?

By Joe Tabor

06/20/2024

Chicago lags behind other cities in housing affordability. The city’s permitting process could be holding it back.

TAGS: construction, housing

Hard look at job rules can pull more Illinoisans from poverty

By Larry Han

06/18/2024

If Illinois used data-driven reviews before imposing job rules, more people could find work and escape poverty.

TAGS: poverty, unemployment

Upward mobility tougher in Illinois than in rest of Midwest, most of U.S.

By Joe Tabor

02/07/2024

Illinois ranked 40th overall and the worst in the Midwest for social mobility, a new report found.

Common-ground solutions to empower Chicago’s poor: A model for America’s cities

By Josh Bandoch

01/25/2024

Published Jan. 25, 2024

Institute for Justice

Pathway to a Profession: How Apprenticeships Could Reshape Illinois’ Beauty Service Industry

Illinois’ low social mobility: causes and cures

Unlocking Opportunity: How Occupational Licensing Reform Would Promote Equitable Empowerment in Illinois

Building not permitted: Building permits in Illinois are a barrier to housing affordability

4 new occupational licensing laws remove barriers in Illinois

Regulatory reform can make housing more affordable for Illinois families

What does it take to get a building permit in Chicago?

Hard look at job rules can pull more Illinoisans from poverty

Upward mobility tougher in Illinois than in rest of Midwest, most of U.S.

Common-ground solutions to empower Chicago’s poor: A model for America’s cities

Pathway to a Profession: How Apprenticeships Could Reshape Illinois’ Beauty Service Industry

Report Archive

Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students