Minimum Wage: Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down?
Sean Sandlin
Northeast Lakeview College – ECON 2302
Author’s Note: The information contained within this paper is the sole product of the author except where cited. Contact: ssandlin4@alamo.edu
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to present various data points used for or against the economic effectiveness of the federal government or any government establishing minimum wage laws. The paper will attempt to address assumptions or premises which may or may not influence results of said studies. In an effort to maintain objectivity, research attributed to the three political think tanks was used in discerning the makeup of the data presented.
Minimum Wage: Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down?
Sean Sandlin
Northeast Lakeview College ECON 2302-005
The Minimum Wage – the argument over its efficacy has waged since before the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Prior to answering the moral, social, or political question of whether a minimum wage should be mandated or whether such a law is fair; it is necessary to look at the data. What does the data say and how should we interpret the data? This paper will rely heavily upon David Neumark’s and William Wascher’s research and analysis in this subject as well as upon the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report from February 2014. Also, in order to assess whether a minimum wage can or has been successful, the definition of what minimum wage represents must be offered.
Minimum wage has only been around in the United States (US) for a short period of time. Since 1938, the minimum wage has undergone many changes in its laws and regulations and has been raised to extreme amounts in some states. Today states must provide at least the equivalent minimum wage set by the federal government. Some states, however, chose to raise the minimum wage rate higher than that set by the federal government. In those states, the citizens will protest to get higher wages so that they can live more comfortably.
The idea to raise the US FMW has been gaining traction in recent years. While some states and cities taken it upon themselves to enact legislation to raise minimum wage in their jurisdictions, to raise it across the entire country is a different debate. In this paper I will provide history pertaining to when and why minimum wage came to be in the US. ...
For over a decade, many Americans have struggled with the low wage issued from employers, despite working very long hours of work. According to a study done in Oregon State University, a federal minimum wage was first set in 1938, starting at 25 cents an hour. Due to inflation that has occurred many times throughout the century, the call for raising minimum wage is to be immediately answered. However, the minimum wage falls when congress does not raise the minimum wage to keep up with inflation. Because of this many cities and states have departed from the minimum wage. In this essay, to be discussed is the reason why imposing a minimum wage above the equilibrium wage will reduce employment and contribute to an increase in the unemployment rate.
The current U.S. Federal Minimum Wage is $7.25 per hour. In just two years from 2013, the demanded from advocates for raising minimum wage rose from $9 to $15. However, raising the minimum wage is more complex than simply raising the number of federal standard of pay for employees. Relative control groups and other market activities play a part in the outcome of the minimum wage. For example, one instance of market activity was observers said that raising the minimum wage did not hurt individuals; however, wages were raised during an economic downturn so the impact of minimum wage was masked by other activities. Federal Minimum Wage is pressing topic and it is important to consider the pros and cons to raising it, to ask what people and how people are affected, and to look further into the microeconomic theoretical framework of wages surrounding the topic.
Presently, the citizens of the United States of America are involved in an impassioned debate over the federal minimum wage. As of October 5, 2016, the federal minimum wage is set at seven dollars and twenty-five cents an hour. There are numerous amounts of stakeholders when it comes to minimum wage. The three stakeholders mentioned in this essay will be Companies, Employees, and the Economy. In addition to the stakeholders, this essay will also dig into the history of the United States Federal Minimum Wage and see how it has progressed over the years and if it kept up with inflation over the years. With this information, society will see what an increase to the federal minimum wage will have on the United States economy and labor force.
This paper gives an insight on the debate whether the minimum wage should be raised to $10 an hour or not in the United States. There is a big debate in the United States regarding as to whether the minimum wage should be raised to $10 per hour, but before we go into details of the debate lets first understand what is meant by a minimum wage and how did it come into existence. A minimum wage is the lowest wage that is paid to workers by their employers, and the government legally sets it. A minimum wage is a price floor, workers are not allowed to sale their services below price, and the government legally sets the price (Neumark et al 2008). Although the minimum wage is put into effect in jurisdictions, there exist different opinions
An issue that has been debating throughout centuries is whether or not America should increase the minimum wage. This is an issue that has been arising to be relevant to people all over the nation. Researches have provided logical facts and statistics on how increasing the minimum wage would be the solution to America’s debt. Increasing the minimum wage has also been successful in several countries including Germany. Studies have shown that decreasing the minimum wage is unlikely to solve any economic woes. While when we increase the minimum wage it benefits the economy, employment as well as skillful people.
The issue of raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour is a heavily debated topic. Both sources against or in favor of the minimum wage refer to a “growing gap” between low-income workers and high-income earners. Sources against the minimum wage believe raising it will increase this gap, whereas those in favor of the minimum wage believe it will decrease this gap. The arguments in favor of the minimum wage rely mostly on ethical beliefs, such as “pay should reflect hard work,” to advance the need for a higher minimum wage. Whereas, the arguments against the minimum wage use quantitative data like unemployment rates and economic analysis involving supply and demand to undermine the policy behind the minimum wage. Ultimately, the
In the summer of 2014, legislature intended to raise the current minimum wage floor of $7.25 in the United States stalled in Congress. As the November election approaches, many Democratic senate members are placing the issue of minimum wage at the forefront of their election campaigns, hoping to sway working-class voters in their favor. The issue of minimum wage has become a matter of politics, politics which far overshadow the far more pertinent concern of minimum wage’s economic effects. Minimum wage is a complex issue, and understanding both the benefits and harms associated with minimum wage is critical to making an informed political decision, a decision hopefully substantiated by economics.
There has been many conversations about what the positive impacts can come to America 's lowest income workers as a result of an increase in the minimum wage, and there has also been equally as many discussions over the negative effects the increase can have on similar people. This paper’s purpose is to combine each viewpoint and objectively analyze the arguments for and against an increase in the minimum wage. I will first discuss the benefits for an increase, then the disadvantages, and in the last paragraph, I will
This paper examines several articles about the minimum wage in the United States (U.S.) for any gaps that may have gone unnoticed. In research, there will always be questions that a reader may want to understand or have clarified. The questions in research are those that a researcher deem necessary for a particular topic in order to complete a study. Of course, some questions within a study may be one sided, due to the researcher’s knowledge of the topic or the questions results from a previous study that was unanswered. Often times, a research may not have all the questions at that particular time, which leaves room for future studies. This paper evaluates several articles that may fall into this category. The first section review articles
“Raise the wage!” reads many protestors’ signs across America. Many people believe this to be the answer to the financial inequality that plagues our country. The federal minimum wage was established to keep workers from settling on a poor living standard (Leonard A.11). Since this was passed, multiple debates and issues have risen. One begins to ask the question, is this truly the best way to resolve the unequal distribution of wealth? After research, it has been found that there are many drawbacks that are related to raising the minimum wage. Because of the number of harmful, detrimental, disadvantageous effects of increasing the base pay, the country should not continuously raise it.
Minimum wage is a contentious issue only because it is debated by a vast and eclectic audience that cares for the heart of the matter. Minimum wage is at the source of the economist 's main interest; in pursuit of discovering its connection to job loss. Countries all around the globe, maintain minimum wage laws without any noticeable fluctuation. For this reason, it is coming to an apparent importance to policy makers everywhere. Those that tend to earn a minimum wage are mainly coming from low income and minority families. The minimum wage has attracted attention from social activists all over as well. The topic is perhaps most intriguing to the average, normal class American. At some time in our long but short lives, almost every single person has been paid at the minimum wage. Due to this, it is of popular debate over dinner, at restaurants, and in the typical American living room. More importantly it’s now being, and sort of always has been discussed by those of our government.
There has been many conversations about what the positive impacts can come to America 's lowest income workers as a result of an increase in the minimum wage, and there has also been equally as many discussions over the negative effects the increase can have on similar people. This paper’s purpose is to combine each viewpoint and objectively analyze the arguments for and against an increase in the minimum wage. I will first discuss the
The bill to raise minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $10.10 and hour over a two year period had been thrown around for months, but it does not seem to be passing. Ronald Reagan once said in 1980, “The minimum wage has caused more misery and unemployment than anything since the Great Depression.” This fact may still hold true today as Americans see the effects the debate over minimum wage is having. According to the National Association of Manufacturers the national minimum wage “constitute[d] a step in the direction of communism, bolshevism, fascism, and Nazism.” These negative views of minimum wage also believe that it will, in the end, only destroy the economy, doom American freedom, take jobs, and only hurt the people it is supposed to be helping.