A study published in the Cato Journal, Vol. 30, No.1, concludes the purpose of prevailing wage laws are to limit competition and provide significant benefits to labor unions. These policies come at the expense of taxpayers that are forced to pay more than otherwise necessary for projects that require prevailing wage mandates. George Leef, Director of Research at the John W. Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, concludes that no societal benefits result from union favoritism.