The Market for and Licensing of Public Accountants: A Review of the AICPA’s Pipeline Report
评析美国注册会计师协会（AICPA）管道报告，质疑其将会计专业人数下降归因于供给不足，并提出四项降低准入门槛的改革方案以增加经济福利。
SYNOPSIS Over the past decade, there has been a substantial decline in the number of accounting majors and newly minted U.S. CPAs. In response, the AICPA established the National Pipeline Advisory Group (NPAG), with a mission to “increase the number of people who choose a career in accounting.” We evaluate the analysis and recommendations in the NPAG’s final report, with a focus on understanding the demand and supply factors driving compensation, college major choice, and occupation choice. Although we share many of the NPAG’s concerns and observations, we question its characterization of declining entrants as exclusively a supply phenomenon and conclude that its recommendations would have only marginal effects on supply. We propose for discussion four alternatives for reforming entry to public accounting, each with the goal of reducing the cost of entry without compromising quality and, in doing so, increasing economic welfare. JEL Classifications: J24; J44; M40, M41; M42; K2; L51.