EPI Research (Page 5 )

  • Fighting $15?: An Evaluation of the Evidence and a Case for Caution

    January 2019

    Click here for a policy brief of the book's findings. In his 2013 State of the Union, President Obama called for a 25 percent increase in the federal minimum wage, to $9 an hour. Five years later, the Democratic Party promised a minimum wage increase of more than 100 percent, to $15 an hour. This radical evolution in what…
  • Helping Without Hurting: The Long-run Effects of Anti-Poverty Policies on Disadvantaged Neighborhoods

    June 2018

    Decades of economic research and policymaking have focused on minimum wages, tax credits, and welfare programs as essential tools to improve the lives of struggling and disadvantaged Americans. In this new study, economists David Neumark and Brittany Bass of the University of California, Irvine, and Brian Asquith of the National Bureau of Economic research, measure the longrun effects of minimum wages, the Earned Income Tax…
  • The Impact of a $15 Minimum Wage in New Jersey

    May 2018

    Proponents of a higher wage in New Jersey argue that a $15 wage will pull families out of poverty while saving taxpayers money. For instance, Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto argued that, “[a $15 minimum wage] will be an integral component in our efforts to stop the decline in the middle class and lift working families out of poverty.” But mounting evidence, including a new analysis…
  • The Employment Effects of Eliminating the Tip Credit in Michigan

    May 2018

    In 2014, legislation to raise Michigan’s minimum wage received bipartisan support in the state legislature, and the state’s wage floor rose to $9.25 at the start of 2018. The base wage paid to tipped employees such as restaurant servers was increased from $3.38 to $3.52; these employees are still legally-guaranteed the same full minimum wage as all other employees. This fall, voters may consider at…
  • A Bad Tip: The Harmful Proposal to Eliminate New York’s Tip Credit: Research show harm of tipped wage hike, debunks link between tipping and sexual harassment

    February 2018

    Starting in 2015, the state of New York embarked on an unprecedented experiment in raising its minimum wage. Subsequent anecdotal and empirical evidence suggests these increases were tremendously-disruptive to New York’s service industry. Nevertheless, in December 2017 Governor Cuomo indicated his interest in further raising the base wage for tipped employees— eliminating the state’s tip credit and making New York one of just…

  • California Dreamin’ of Higher Wages: Evaluating the Golden State’s 30-Year Minimum Wage Experiment

    December 2017

    In recent decades, California has pursued minimum wage levels about the federal standard. By 2022, the state will have the first statewide minimum wage of $15.00 per hour. The Golden State’s minimum wage experience thus offers a unique opportunity for researchers to examine the longer-term economic effects of high minimum wages. In this new study, Dr. David Macpherson of Trinity University and Dr. William Even…