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Wage Growth Among Minimum Wage Workers
June 2004 · William E. Even - Miami University of Ohio, David Macpherson - Florida State University ·
Arguments in favor of increasing federal and state minimum wages often hinge on a belief that minimum wage employees are dependent on these government policies to receive a wage increase. Policymakers often believe that these employees receive raises only when the minimum wage is increased implying a notion that these individuals are unable to increase their skill level and corresponding wages without the government’s assistance. In this… -
Helping Low-Wage Americans – Wage Based Tax Credits: A New Solution to an Age Old Problem
May 2004 · Employment Policies Institute ·
Sixty-five years ago, pharmacies stocked mercury, heroin, and radon as remedies; few people believed that a fungus-based drug called penicillin could cure anything; and the minimum wage was considered our most effective anti-poverty policy. Doctors prescribing mercury today would lose their license, yet the popularity of similarly counterproductive minimum wage increases endures—despite the existence of successful anti-poverty measures such as the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).… -
Helping Working-Poor Families
April 2004 · Dr. Thomas MaCurdy - Stanford University, Dr. Frank McIntyre - Brigham Young University ·
Two major policies relied upon during the 1990s for enhancing the incomes of working poor families were expansions of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and raising the minimum wage. Both approaches have shortcomings. The minimum wage inefficiently targets benefits to low-income families, in addition to inducing job losses among the less skilled and causing price increases on goods and services produced by low-wage labor that can… -
Minimum Wage And Its Effects On Small Business
April 2004 · Craig Garthwaite ·
A Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Workforce, Empowerment, and Government Programs Sixty-five years ago, pharmacies stocked mercury, heroin, and radon as remedies; few people believed that a fungus-based drug called penicillin could cure anything; and the minimum wage was considered our most effective anti-poverty policy. Doctors prescribing mercury today would lose their license, yet the popularity of similarly counterproductive minimum wage increases endures—despite the existence of proven… -
San Francisco Residents Oppose Minimum Wage Hike
July 2003 · Employment Policies Institute ·
News stories have reported strong support for an increased wage mandate in the City of San Francisco. However, more in-depth research shows that previous polls only scratched the surface of residents’ opinions’. When asked for their support level for an increased wage mandate coupled with other economic factors, residents overwhelmingly oppose a proposed $8.50 minimum wage that applies to all employers. When presented with alternatives, residents prefer… -
Where the Jobs Aren’t: Local Unemployment Spreads
July 2003 · Employment Policies Institute ·
As the economic downturn of 2002 progressed, more local communities across the country slid into persistent unemployment. Unemployment rose in hundreds of counties and cities, with unemployment rates ranging from 9% to 25%. As the American economy continues to limp towards recovery, residents in these most depressed areas will be particularly hard hit by unemployment. This study identifies 397 cities, counties, and metropolitan statistical areas (each with…