Working Paper: NBER ID: w0878
Authors: Mary E. C. Eccies; Richard B. Freeman
Abstract: The Minimum Wage Study Commission was established in 1977 to aid Congress in investigating the effects and possible consequences of two proposed changes in the minimum wage law: indexing the wage to inflation and providing for a youth differential. This paper seeks to determine to what extent the Minimum Wage Study Commission's work has been helpful in policy debate, and compares the Commission's findings with those of the more conservative American Enterprise Institute. The paper also examines whether the Commission's final product was worth three years of study and $17 million. Our overall finding is that the Commission's report appears to have had little or no policy impact. The research did little to expand upon similar studies done prior to 1977, and cannot be said to be worth three years and $17 million. However, policy-makers still regard the report as a useful and credible examination of the effects of the mini- mum wage on the economy.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: No JEL codes provided
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| minimum wage study commission's report (J38) | little or no policy impact (F68) |
| commission's findings (L96) | legislative action or public policy regarding minimum wage laws (J38) |
| commission's research (L96) | new insights (O36) |
| commission's recommendations (G18) | indexing the minimum wage to inflation (J38) |
| commission's recommendations (G18) | youth differential (J79) |