Minimum Wage (Page 11 )

  • The Effects of the Proposed Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Increase

    September 2005 ·  David A. Macpherson - Florida State University · 

    In recent years, the movement to enact “living wages” or increases in the minimum wage has been active in states and cities across the country. Advocates of these wage hikes argue that the increases will help low-income families escape poverty. While emotionally compelling, this argument ignores the unintended consequences the proposed increase would create. Worse, the mandated increase confers its benefits overwhelmingly on employees who aren’t poor…
  • Raising the Minimum Wage: Another Empty Promise to the Working Poor

    August 2005 ·  Richard V. Burkhauser - Cornell University, Joseph J. Sabia - University of Georgia · 

    Overview This paper provides a historical view of the effect of increases in the federal minimum wage on the working poor with a particular focus on the past 15 years. Since its inception in 1938, increases in the federal minimum wage have become an increasingly weak mechanism for addressing the problem of poverty in America. This continuing deterioration stems from the fact that fewer low-wage employees are…
  • The Effects of the Proposed California Minimum Wage Increase

    August 2004 ·  Dr. David Macpherson - Florida State University, Craig Garthwaite - Employment Policies Institute · 

    On August 23, 2004 the California legislature passed an increase in the minimum wage to $7.75 an hour. This study evaluates the consequences of the proposed increase, with a focus on the potential impact on California’s labor market. This report, by Dr. David Macpherson from Florida State University and the Employment Policies Institute, uses Current Population Survey data and labor demand estimates (as reported by a consensus…
  • Minimum Wages and Job Search: What Do Employment Effects Really Measure

    August 2004 ·  Dr. Peter Arcidiacono - Duke University, Dr. Thomas Ahn - Duke University · 

    In this study, Drs. Peter Arcidiacono and Thomas Ahn investigate claims of positive employment effects resulting from a minimum wage. The study first highlights the multitude of reasons why, under the classical economic model—the widely accepted model of economic behavior—an increase in the minimum wage cannot lead to an increase in employment. Then, by relaxing certain assumptions critical to the classical model, a search model is constructed.…
  • Raising New York’s Minimum Wage: A Poor Way to Help the Working Poor

    July 2004 ·  Dr. Richard Burkhauser - Cornell University, Dr. Joseph Sabia - Cornell University · 

    State lawmakers in Albany are poised to vote on a staggering 38 percent increase in the state’s minimum wage. The increase to $7.10 an hour will not grant the majority of its benefits to poor New Yorkers, but it will deprive these individuals of necessary employment opportunities. This study, conducted by Drs. Richard Burkhauser and Joseph Sabia of Cornell University, finds the claims of lawmakers—that the minimum…
  • Why Raising the Minimum Wage is a Poor Way to Help the Working Poor

    July 2004 ·  Dr. Richard Burkhauser - Cornell University, Dr. Joseph Sabia - Cornell University · 

    Politicians from Democratic Presidential Candidate John Kerry to Senator Ted Kennedy are pushing to increase the minimum wage to $7.00 an hour. This 36 percent increase in the wage floor will only serve to decrease employment opportunities for entry-level employees—particularly the low-skill employees minimum wage hikes are intended to help. Supporters of these wage increases claim that this increase will help Americans in poverty. In particular, Senator…