> Beyond the optimal number of lawyers, however, the effects of their work are negative. In this graph, the optimal number of lawyers per 1,000 white-collar workers is said to be about 10; because the US has about 14, it has an excess.
Today we might have a slightly lower excess. The number of lawyers per 100,000 people has been stable since the 1980s. Meanwhile, the fraction of white collar workers has gone up a bit.
> Beyond the optimal number of lawyers, however, the effects of their work are negative. In this graph, the optimal number of lawyers per 1,000 white-collar workers is said to be about 10; because the US has about 14, it has an excess.
Today we might have a slightly lower excess. The number of lawyers per 100,000 people has been stable since the 1980s. Meanwhile, the fraction of white collar workers has gone up a bit.
Itβs also worth observing that the Anglosphere countries tend to be the most legalistic, but also are the most economically dynamic: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-comme...