The downside of doubling the federal minimum wage By Catherine Rampell, The Washington Post, July 20, 2015. [One size does not feel all states of the USA. Look at how the minimum wage compares with the median wage.]
Finally, an Answer to the Minimum Wage Question By Noah Smith, May 27, 2015. ["We don’t really know what happens when you raise the minimum wage to $15 -- but soon, we will know. We will be able to see whether employment rates fall in L.A., Seattle, and San Francisco. We will be able to see whether people who can't get work migrate from these cities to cities with lower minimum wages. We will be able to see if employment growth suddenly slows after the enactment of the policy. In other words, federalism will do its job, by allowing cities to act as policy laboratories for the rest of the country."]
A Fascinating Minimum-Wage Experiment Is About to Unfold By John Cassidy, The New Yorker, May 21, 2015. []
Los Angeles Lifts Its Minimum Wage to $15 Per Hour By JENNIFER MEDINA and NOAM SCHEIBER, The New York Times, MAY 19, 2015. []
Can we take the politics out of the federal minimum wage? By Richard Reeves, Fixgov (blog), Brookings, April 15, 2015. ["It now makes sense to consider taking some of the power and responsibility for setting the [minimum] wage rate out of the hands of politicians—just as interest rates are set by the Federal Reserve. This is not a novel proposal in international terms. In most advanced economies, minimum wage decisions are not purely political. Out of 66 countries studied by Tito Boeri in 2009, 24 delegate the determination the minimum wage level to a tripartite body; 26 countries set the minimum wage after taking advice following formal consultation between the Government and representatives of employers and workers; and just 16 countries (including the U.S.) set the minimum wage through a simple legislative vote."]
Raise the Wage? By Wendy Morrison, Econ Focus, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Third Quarter, 2014. [Some argue that there's no downside to a higher minimum wage, but others say the poor would be hit hardest.]
States’ Minimum Wages Rise, Helping Millions of Workers By RACHEL ABRAMS, The New York Times, DEC. 31, 2014. [On January 1, 2015, minimum wage increases went into effect in 20 states, including Massachusetts, as well as in the District of Columbia. Will this lead to disaster?]
Twenty states will raise their minimum wage on Jan. 1 By Niraj Chokshi, The Washington Post, December 26, 2014. [Quite a few states have indexed their minimum wages to inflation.]
International Minimum Wage Comparisons By Timothy Taylor, Conversable Economist (blog), August 18, 2014. [Among rich countries, the US minimum wage -- expressed as a percentage of either the average wage or the median wage -- is near the bottom.]
Characteristics of U.S. Minimum Wage Workers By Timothy Taylor, The Conversable Economist (blog), August 13, 2014. []
Minimum wage laws aren’t just for workers with lowest wages by David Cay Johnston, Al Jazeera America, August 11, 2014. [Spillover effects keep lower-wage employees afloat.]
Who Really Gets the Minimum Wage By David Neumark, The Wall Street Journal, July 6, 2014. [As an anti-poverty policy, the minimum wage is poorly targeted: Obama's $10.10 target would steer only 18% of the benefits to poor families; 29% would go to families with incomes three times the poverty level.]
Germany and the Minimum Wage By The Editorial Board, The New York Times, July 7, 2014. ["Germany, France, Britain and the Netherlands have or soon will have higher minimum wages than the current and proposed minimums in the United States, and only six countries in the European Union will be without a statutory minimum wage: Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Italy and Sweden."]
Swiss voters reject minimum wage, fighter jets By Associated Press, The Washington Post, May 18, 2014. [The article provides some data on minimum wages in rich countries. More here.]
How to Kill the Minimum Wage Movement By Timothy Egan, The New York Times, April 24, 2014. [Seattle wants to raise its minimum wage to $15 per hour at a time the minimum wage is $7.25 per hour in much of the nation. Will Seattle succeed? Or will ir kill the movement to raise the minimum wage?]
All Economics Is Local By MICHAEL REICH and KEN JACOBS, The New York Times, March 22, 2014. [Local initiatives in the USA on the minimum wage.]
The Significance of the Minimum Wage for Women and Families By LAURA D'ANDREA TYSON, Economix (blog), The New York Times, March 7, 2014. []
F.D.R. Makes the Case for the Minimum Wage By TERESA TRITCH, Taking Note (blog), The New York Times, March 7, 2014. ["No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country."]
The inside story of how the White House learned to love the minimum wage BY ZACHARY GOLDFARB, Wonkblog (blog), The Washington Post, March 6, 2014. []
Report: Minimum wage hike would cut food stamp spending by $4.6 billion a year By Michael A. Fletcher, The Washington Post, March 5, 2014. []
Business and the Minimum Wage By THE EDITORIAL BOARD, The New York Times, FEB. 27, 2014. [Even if you accept the efficiency wage theory, that's no reason to impose a minimum wage on the private sector. Of course, there could be other reasons.]
The Clear Benefits of a Higher Wage By THE EDITORIAL BOARD, The New York Times, FEB. 19, 2014. ["The benefits to millions of low-wage workers overwhelmingly outweigh the questionable possibility of job losses."]
Minimum Wage Increase Would Have Mixed Effects, C.B.O. Report Says By ANNIE LOWREY, The New York Times, FEB. 18, 2014. ["Republicans contended the policy would be a job-killer, while Democrats asserted it would help alleviate poverty. Economists said both might be right."]
The Case for a Higher Minimum Wage By THE EDITORIAL BOARD, The New York Times, FEB. 8, 2014. [A good summary of the case for the minimum wage.]
Can You Live on the Minimum Wage? By JEREMY ASHKENAS and BILL MARSH, The New York Times, FEB. 8, 2014. [Not really.]
Economists agree: Raising the minimum wage reduces poverty By Mike Konczal, The Washington Post, January 4, 2014. [Remarkable agreement among economists over the ideological spectrum on the effect of the minimum wage on poverty.]
Help the Working Poor, but Share the Burden By N. GREGORY MANKIW, The New York Times, January 4, 2014. [An argument against the minimum wage, on fairness grounds.]
Democrats Turn to Minimum Wage as 2014 Strategy By JONATHAN MARTIN and MICHAEL D. SHEAR, The New York Times, Published: December 29, 2013. [Democrats are hoping that a push to raise the federal minimum wage and a campaign to place state-level wage proposals on the ballot will help their chances in hotly contested congressional races.]
Supersize My Wage By ANNIE LOWREY, The New York Times Magazine, Published: December 17, 2013. [What happens when you raise the minimum wage in a down economy?]
The Amazing Raise The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, December 5, 2013. [Fast food workers demand a livable wage, and the financial news media explains why this will destroy the very foundation of America's democracy.]
The Amazing Raise - Stuart Varney vs. Pope Francis The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, December 5, 2013. [Pope Francis denounces trickle-down economics as unfair to the poor, but Fox's Stuart Varney respectfully disagrees with the infallible Holy See.]
Making Low Wages Livable Room For Debate (blog), The New York Times, Published: December 4, 2013. [Contributions from ...]
$15 Wage in Fast Food Stirs Debate on Effects By STEVEN GREENHOUSE, The New York Times, Published: December 4, 2013. [Repeated strikes against fast-food restaurants have called for a sharp minimum-wage increase, to $15 an hour, but the side effects of such a jump on prices and employment are unclear.]
The Minimum Wage and the Laws of Economics By JARED BERNSTEIN, Economix (blog), The New York Times, December 4, 2013. [The income decay among the lowest-paid workers does not reflect a decline in the value they add, and a moderate increase in the minimum wage would improve their lot without violating economic taboos, an economist writes.]
The Minimum-Wage Cure for Illegal Immigration By BRUCE BARTLETT, Economix (blog), The New York Times, December 3, 2013. [With very different priorities, conservatives and progressives alike are supporting a higher minimum wage, an economist writes.]
Better Pay Now By PAUL KRUGMAN, The New York Times, Published: December 1, 2013. [Raising the minimum wage would help many Americans, and might actually be politically possible.]
The Great Divide: The Minimum We Can Do By ARINDRAJIT DUBE, Opinionator (blog), The New York Times, November 30, 2013. [A 10 percent increase in the minimum wage would reduce poverty by around 2 percent.]
In Washington State, Home of Highest Minimum Wage, a City Aims Higher By KIRK JOHNSON and STEVEN GREENHOUSE, The New York Times, Published: October 13, 2013. [Voters in the blue-collar Seattle suburb of SeaTac will soon decide whether to raise the local minimum wage to $15 from $9.19 an hour, a move that could have profound implications.]
The minimum wage and employment dynamics By Jonathan Meer and Jeremy West, VOX (blog), 10 September 2013. [The recent proposal by President Obama to raise the federal minimum wage has brought this issue back into the limelight. This column presents new research suggesting minimum-wage policies may not cause an immediate shock to employment, as is often feared, but do cause a reduction in the rate of net job growth. The long-run prospects for individuals are damaged, as they are delayed the opportunity to develop skills and work experience – that crucial first rung on the career ladder.]
Minimum wage across the U.S. The Washington Post, September 3, 2013. []
The U.S. has a $7.25 minimum wage. Australia’s is $16.88 By Dylan Matthews, Wonkblog (blog), The Washington Post, August 19, 2013. [The minimum wage in other countries.]
A $15 minimum wage is a terrible idea By Dylan Matthews, June 22, 2013. []
Faces of the Minimum Wage By ANNIE LOWREY, The New York Times, Published: June 15, 2013. [The number of Americans earning minimum wage has grown significantly since the recession hit; here, stories of getting by.]
Some International Minimum Wage Comparisons By Timothy Taylor, Conversable Economist (blog), May 29, 2013. [Compared to the typical worker's wage, the U.S. minimum wage is among the lowest in the advanced world. When minimum wages are converted into dollars, the U.S. minimum wage is somewhere in the middle.]
Five myths about the minimum wage By Betsey Stevenson, The Washington Post, Published: April 5, 2013.
Minimal Wages, Minimal Families By Nancy Folbre, Economix (blog), The New York Times, March 4, 2013. [The proposed increase in the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour will raise incomes for families with children and help young adults start families of their own, even though it won’t lift them all out of poverty, an economist writes.]
What Economists Think About Raising the Minimum Wage By CATHERINE RAMPELL, Economix (blog), The New York Times, March 4, 2013. [A recent survey of elite economists found significant disagreement over the effects of raising the minimum wage on low-skilled job seekers.]
The Business of the Minimum Wage By CHRISTINA D. ROMER, The New York Times, Published: March 2, 2013. [Economic analysis raises questions about the role of a higher minimum wage in reducing poverty. As a result, many economists prefer other ways of helping low-income families.]
A better deal than minimum wage By Charles Lane, The Washington Post, Monday, February 18, 2013. [The earned Income tax Credit is the way to go.]
Raise That Wage By PAUL KRUGMAN, The New York Times, Published: February 17, 2013. [A higher minimum wage is good policy.]
Raising the minimum wage: Trickle-up economics The Economist, February 16, 2013. [Good summary of the state of the debate. Also includes a nice chart comparing minimum wages across countries.]
Minimum Wage Economics By Paul Krugman, The Conscience of a Liberal (blog), The New York Times, February 16, 2013. [Surprisingly good policy.]
Interview with Dube; EITC and Minimum Wage as Complements By Mike Konczal, Rortybomb, FEB 15, 2013.
The Minority Youth Unemployment Act Editorial, The Wall Street Journal, February 15, 2013. [A higher minimum wage will hurt Obama's most loyal supporters.]
The $9 Minimum Wage That Already Exists By MICHAEL SALTSMAN, The Wall Street Journal, February 14, 2013. [The Earned Income Tax Credit alleviates poverty without costing low-income workers their jobs.]
Minimum Wage 101 By MIKE KONCZAL, The American Prospect, FEBRUARY 14, 2013. [What's to like about the proposed minimum-wage hike? Almost everything.]
Economists disagree on whether the minimum wage kills jobs. Why? by Brad Plumer, Wonkblog (blog), The Washington Post, February 14, 2013.
The argument in the floor, The Economist, November 24, 2012. [Evidence is mounting that moderate minimum wages can do more good than harm.]
Why the Minimum Wage Doesn’t Explain Stagnant Wages By DAVID LEONHARDT, Economix (blog), The New York Times, September 5, 2012. []
Bill Pushes for Increase in Wages By REBECCA BERG, The New York Times, Published: June 6, 2012. [Here we see an argument that raising the minimum wage (a) may encourage spending and, thereby, reduce unemployment in a depressed economy and (b) may reduce income inequality in a highly unequal nation.]
Paying Rent on Minimum Wage By By ANDREW ROSENTHAL, Taking Note (blog), The New York Times, Published: May 30, 2012. [There is no state in the country where it’s possible to work a 40-hour week at minimum wage and afford a two-bedroom apartment.]
A Living Wage, Long Overdue Editorial, The New York Times, December 25, 2011. [A new bill would require developers who profit from public subsidies to pay a minimum wage of $10 an hour, lifting thousands of New Yorkers above the poverty line.]
Wage Floor Is Increasing in 8 States in New Year By CATHERINE RAMPELL, The New York Times, December 23, 2011. [The minimum wage increases in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont and Washington will be 28 cents to 37 cents an hour.]
Guest Post: Minimum Wage Laws and the Labor Market: What Have We Learned Since Card and Krueger’s Book Myth and Measurement? By Arindrajit Dube, Rortybomb (blog), September 1, 2011.
Along the Minimum-Wage Battle Front, By NANCY FOLBRE, Economix (blog), November 1, 2010, 6:00 am, The New York Times.
The Minimum Wage and Teenage Jobs, By CASEY B. MULLIGAN, Economix (blog), November 18, 2009, 6:27 am, The New York Times.
Minimum wages: November's $5.15 question, The Economist, Jun 29th 2006. [A Democratic dodge for getting supporters to the polls. The poor, who tend to vote mainly for the Democratic Party, generally do not vote ... except when there is a ballot proposal to boost the minimum wage. Naturally, Democrats sometimes add such proposals to boost the voting rates of the poor.]
How Support Eroded for a Program Intended to 'End Starvation Wages': Washington Now Considers the Minimum Wage Law A Drag on Employment; Two Shifts for Pat Williams, By RICK WARTZMAN, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, July 19, 2001.
What's So Bad about a Living Wage? Paying above the minimum seems to do more good than harm [Data], By Steven V. Brull, BusinessWeek, September 4, 2000.
'Living Wage' Ordinance Both Delights and Divides, By BARBARA WHITAKER, The New York Times, May 29, 2001.
'Living Wage' Roulette: A Bigger Paycheck, or a Pink Slip?, By STEVEN GREENHOUSE, The New York Times, May 19, 2002.
Review & Outlook: Just Wages, Editorial, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, June 13, 2001.
Review & Outlook: On the Waterfront, Editorial, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, August 13, 2001.
REVIEW & OUTLOOK: The 'Living Wage' Gambit, Editorial, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, April 28, 2002.
Economic Scene: At Colleges Prosperity Lifts Expectations By ALAN B. KRUEGER, The New York Times, April 26, 2001.
Maintained by Udayan Roy.