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美国经济不景气,应该鼓励年轻人在车库创业

美国经济不景气,应该鼓励年轻人在车库创业

HALEY HOLIK 2022-08-01
政府的繁文缛节导致年轻创业者和上班族无法为创业繁荣充分做出贡献。

在灵活互联的时代,各地对居家经营的限制变得没有道理。图片来源:盖蒂图片社

受到经济衰退影响最大的是年轻人。年轻人通常会最先被裁员,最后被录用,而且失去经验和收入的风险最高。而工作经验和收入是他们享受美好生活的基础。面对迫在眉睫的经济衰退,各州州长和议员应该优先考虑鼓励高中生、大学生和应届毕业生创业的改革措施。

历史证明,经济衰退会促进创业。在2009年经济衰退最严重的时期,初创公司的数量达到14年最高水平,超过了以创新闻名的网络泡沫时代。新冠疫情导致的短暂经济衰退和由此导致的政府停摆,也刺激了创业的流行。去年全美新公司申请达到创纪录的540万家。

然而,政府的繁文缛节导致年轻创业者和上班族无法为创业繁荣充分做出贡献。如果各州为创业者扫清障碍,那么数以百万计的青少年和二十多岁的年轻人,在经历过下一次经济衰退之后可能变得更加强大。

各州应该取消地方上对居家经营的限制。这些规则会妨碍年轻人,因为年轻人没有在其他地方创业所需要的资本或人脉。而且在21世纪,科技给工作场所带来的灵活性和全球互联,使各地的限制变得毫无道理。

以威斯康辛州格林贝为例,当地规定家庭企业只能在商务7点和下午9点之间营业。这条规定对于以前的汽车修理厂或许是合理的,但对于在Etsy上经营艺术品和手工艺品商店的人或者使用Instagram与全球观众联系的网红来说,却毫无道理。

爱达荷州福尔斯禁止使用超过20%的房屋面积用于工作,而堪萨斯州欧弗兰帕克禁止在车库内创业。最后一条限制意味着,谢尔盖·布林和拉里·佩奇如果25岁的时候是在向日葵之州堪萨斯,他们可能没有机会创建谷歌(Google)。从大城市到小镇,都存在对居家办公的限制。

有些州已经在取消繁琐的规章制度。2021年,佛罗里达州通过了一项州法律,禁止地方政府向家庭企业发放经营许可或对家庭企业进行监管,路边停车等问题除外。爱荷华州和密苏里州后来也颁布了类似的措施。为年轻创业者考虑,其他州应该跟进。

各州应该取消或者“避免”地方经营许可规定。各县市通常要求创业者在州经营许可以外获得本地许可,或者要求以本地许可取代州许可,这是过度监管的典型,会导致成本增加。面对这些额外的障碍,年轻人通常是最无能为力的,因为他们没有现金。

堪萨斯州威奇托就是一个很好的例子。虽然堪萨斯州对按摩治疗师没有经营许可要求,但威奇托市却要求申请者必须经过漫长的手续,包括付费参加500小时培训。申请者还必须每两年向市政府缴纳75美元。如果一位潜在按摩治疗师希望服务的客户位于威奇托市郊,他/她每次必须提出申请,并付费获得另外一项许可。同样,虽然爱荷华州并没有对人体穿孔师进行监管,但苏城却有相关规定。树木修剪也是如此。滑铁卢要求树木修剪工必须取得经营许可,但其所在州并没有这样的规定。

各州可以避免这种各自为政的现象,支持年轻人创业。如果州政府规定某个职业不需要取得许可,地方政府就不应该干涉。如果已经有州级经营许可,它在该州内应该是充分有效的。佛罗里达州和西弗吉尼亚州已经通过了类似法律,威斯康辛州和田纳西州也禁止了新的许可,并限制收费。其他州也可以采用类似的简化措施。

最后,各州应该取消年轻人工作许可。约35个州要求18岁以下的求职者必须获得学校、医生或州劳动部门的工作许可。这应该由青少年及其家人共同作出决定,不需要政府干预。各州为青少年设定这些耗时漫长的限制,导致年轻创业者不太可能从很小就开始创业,这一点从青少年劳动力参与率中可见一斑。因此,印第安纳州在2020年取消了对年轻人的工作许可要求,它是最近做出这一决定的州。

年轻人和上班族需要各州迅速行动。因为随着经济衰退的可能性日益升高,年轻人被裁员、忽视和遗忘的可能性也变得越来越高。对于许多青少年和二十多岁的年轻人而言,创业是在短期内应对经济衰退最好的办法,从长远来看,还能为经济和社区做出贡献。但首先,他们需要政府规定不要成为他们创业的障碍。(财富中文网)

本文作者黑利·霍立科现任政府问责基金会(Foundation for Government Accountability)高级研究员。

Fortune.com上发表的评论文章中表达的观点,仅代表作者本人的观点,不能代表《财富》杂志的观点和信仰。

译者:刘进龙

审校:汪皓

受到经济衰退影响最大的是年轻人。年轻人通常会最先被裁员,最后被录用,而且失去经验和收入的风险最高。而工作经验和收入是他们享受美好生活的基础。面对迫在眉睫的经济衰退,各州州长和议员应该优先考虑鼓励高中生、大学生和应届毕业生创业的改革措施。

历史证明,经济衰退会促进创业。在2009年经济衰退最严重的时期,初创公司的数量达到14年最高水平,超过了以创新闻名的网络泡沫时代。新冠疫情导致的短暂经济衰退和由此导致的政府停摆,也刺激了创业的流行。去年全美新公司申请达到创纪录的540万家。

然而,政府的繁文缛节导致年轻创业者和上班族无法为创业繁荣充分做出贡献。如果各州为创业者扫清障碍,那么数以百万计的青少年和二十多岁的年轻人,在经历过下一次经济衰退之后可能变得更加强大。

各州应该取消地方上对居家经营的限制。这些规则会妨碍年轻人,因为年轻人没有在其他地方创业所需要的资本或人脉。而且在21世纪,科技给工作场所带来的灵活性和全球互联,使各地的限制变得毫无道理。

以威斯康辛州格林贝为例,当地规定家庭企业只能在商务7点和下午9点之间营业。这条规定对于以前的汽车修理厂或许是合理的,但对于在Etsy上经营艺术品和手工艺品商店的人或者使用Instagram与全球观众联系的网红来说,却毫无道理。

爱达荷州福尔斯禁止使用超过20%的房屋面积用于工作,而堪萨斯州欧弗兰帕克禁止在车库内创业。最后一条限制意味着,谢尔盖·布林和拉里·佩奇如果25岁的时候是在向日葵之州堪萨斯,他们可能没有机会创建谷歌(Google)。从大城市到小镇,都存在对居家办公的限制。

有些州已经在取消繁琐的规章制度。2021年,佛罗里达州通过了一项州法律,禁止地方政府向家庭企业发放经营许可或对家庭企业进行监管,路边停车等问题除外。爱荷华州和密苏里州后来也颁布了类似的措施。为年轻创业者考虑,其他州应该跟进。

各州应该取消或者“避免”地方经营许可规定。各县市通常要求创业者在州经营许可以外获得本地许可,或者要求以本地许可取代州许可,这是过度监管的典型,会导致成本增加。面对这些额外的障碍,年轻人通常是最无能为力的,因为他们没有现金。

堪萨斯州威奇托就是一个很好的例子。虽然堪萨斯州对按摩治疗师没有经营许可要求,但威奇托市却要求申请者必须经过漫长的手续,包括付费参加500小时培训。申请者还必须每两年向市政府缴纳75美元。如果一位潜在按摩治疗师希望服务的客户位于威奇托市郊,他/她每次必须提出申请,并付费获得另外一项许可。同样,虽然爱荷华州并没有对人体穿孔师进行监管,但苏城却有相关规定。树木修剪也是如此。滑铁卢要求树木修剪工必须取得经营许可,但其所在州并没有这样的规定。

各州可以避免这种各自为政的现象,支持年轻人创业。如果州政府规定某个职业不需要取得许可,地方政府就不应该干涉。如果已经有州级经营许可,它在该州内应该是充分有效的。佛罗里达州和西弗吉尼亚州已经通过了类似法律,威斯康辛州和田纳西州也禁止了新的许可,并限制收费。其他州也可以采用类似的简化措施。

最后,各州应该取消年轻人工作许可。约35个州要求18岁以下的求职者必须获得学校、医生或州劳动部门的工作许可。这应该由青少年及其家人共同作出决定,不需要政府干预。各州为青少年设定这些耗时漫长的限制,导致年轻创业者不太可能从很小就开始创业,这一点从青少年劳动力参与率中可见一斑。因此,印第安纳州在2020年取消了对年轻人的工作许可要求,它是最近做出这一决定的州。

年轻人和上班族需要各州迅速行动。因为随着经济衰退的可能性日益升高,年轻人被裁员、忽视和遗忘的可能性也变得越来越高。对于许多青少年和二十多岁的年轻人而言,创业是在短期内应对经济衰退最好的办法,从长远来看,还能为经济和社区做出贡献。但首先,他们需要政府规定不要成为他们创业的障碍。(财富中文网)

本文作者黑利·霍立科现任政府问责基金会(Foundation for Government Accountability)高级研究员。

Fortune.com上发表的评论文章中表达的观点,仅代表作者本人的观点,不能代表《财富》杂志的观点和信仰。

译者:刘进龙

审校:汪皓

No one suffers more from recessions than the young. They’re typically among the first to get laid off, the last to get hired, and the most at risk of losing the experience and income that’s foundational for a good life. With an economic downturn looming, governors and state lawmakers should prioritize reforms that encourage a surge of entrepreneurship among high schoolers, college students, and recent graduates.

History proves that recessions spark entrepreneurship. At the height of the Great Recession in 2009, business start-ups reached their highest level in 14 years, beating the famously innovative dot-com years. The brief recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting government shutdowns also sparked an entrepreneurial wave. Last year saw a record 5.4 million new business applications nationwide.

Yet red tape stifles young entrepreneurs and workers from fully contributing to these booms. If states break these barriers to entrepreneurship, then millions of current teenagers and twenty-somethings could emerge stronger from the next recession.

States should curb local restrictions on doing business from home. These rules particularly impede young people, who typically don’t have the capital or relationships to start a business anywhere else. Local restrictions also make less sense in the 21st Century, given the flexibility and global connectivity that technology has brought to the workplace.

Consider Green Bay, Wisconsin, which says that home-based businesses can only operate from seven a.m. to nine p.m. That may have made sense for the auto-repair shop of yesteryear, but it doesn’t make sense for someone who runs an arts-and-crafts shop on Etsy or an influencer who uses Instagram to connect with a global audience.

Idaho Falls prohibits people from using more than 20% of their home for work, while Overland Park, Kansas prohibits setting up shop in your garage. The latter restriction means then-25-year-old Sergey Brin and Larry Page couldn’t have started Google in the Sunflower State. From the largest cities to the smallest towns, restrictions on home-based work are rampant.

Some states are already rolling back the red tape. In 2021, Florida passed a state-wide law banning local governments from licensing or regulating home-based businesses, with exceptions for issues like street parking. Iowa and Missouri have since enacted similar measures. For the sake of young entrepreneurs, more states should follow suit.

States should end, or “pre-empt,” local licensing requirements. Cities and counties often require entrepreneurs to obtain local licenses in addition to or in lieu of state-wide licenses–a classic case of overregulation that leads to higher costs. The young are typically least able to clear these extra hurdles because they simply don’t have the cash.

Wichita, Kansas is a case in point. While the state has no license requirement for massage therapists, the city forces applicants to go through a lengthy process, including paying for 500 hours of training. They must also pay $75 to the city every two years. If a would-be massage therapist wants to work with clients in Wichita’s suburbs, he or she must apply and pay for a different license in each one. Similarly, while Iowa doesn’t regulate body piercers, Sioux City does. The same is true for tree trimming, which requires a license in Waterloo but not state-wide.

States can support young entrepreneurs by preventing this patchwork approach. If an occupation isn’t licensed state-wide, then local governments shouldn’t be able to touch it. If there is a state-wide license, then it should be sufficient across the state. Florida and West Virginia have passed such laws, while Wisconsin and Tennessee have prohibited new licenses and limited fees. Other states could easily adopt these simple measures.

Finally, states should eliminate youth work permits. Roughly 35 states require jobseekers under age 18 to obtain permission to work from their school, physician, or state labor department. Teenagers and their families should make that decision together, without government involvement. By making teenagers jump through these time-consuming hoops, states are making it less likely that young entrepreneurs get started early, as teenage labor force participation data show. That’s why Indiana repealed its youth permit requirement in 2020, the latest state to do so.

Young people and workers need states to act fast. As a recession becomes more likely, so do their chances of being laid off, overlooked, and left behind. For many teenagers and twenty-somethings, starting a business is their best bet to come through a downturn in the short term and contribute to the economy and their communities over the long run. But first, they need government regulations to get out of their way.

Haley Holik is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Government Accountability.

The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.

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