Fortunate enough to obtain and keep the title of profession: Self-regulating organizations and the enforcement of professional monopolies

This paper establishes a framework for examining self-regulating occupations and their relationships with government, the public and other occupational groups. It then examines one aspect of this regulative bargain, the tools used by self-regulating organizations to enforce their statutory monopolies, in order to maintain jurisdictional boundaries. Evidence of these strategies was found through a review of the literature on the pros and cons of self-regulation, and legislation, regulations, and by-laws sent to the author by self-regulating occupations in Canada. The paper concludes with a discussion of trends in occupational self-regulation that may affect professional monopolies.