Labor economics

May 30, 2014

America’s Most Overlooked Economic Tragedy

Because jobs can serve the needs of our neighbors and lead to human flourishing both for the individual and communities, they are the most important part of a morally functioning economy. Continue Reading...

May 16, 2014

Why We Should Oppose Both Skynet and Minimum Wage Increases

I oppose implementing Skynet and increasing minimum wage laws for the same reason: to forestall the robots. It’s probably inevitable that a T-1000 will return from the future to terminate John Connor. Continue Reading...

May 02, 2014

Seattle’s Foolish Experiment Will Be a Lesson for America

When I was growing up I had a buddy—let’s call him “Bob”—who was constantly asking, “What happens if we do . . . ?” Bob’s curiosity, however, only led him to wonder about foolish actions. Continue Reading...

May 01, 2014

As Expected, Jobless Claims ‘Unexpectedly’ Increase

Today at Bloomberg we find this unexpected news about unemployment: Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly climbed to a nine-week high, underscoring the difficulty adjusting the data for seasonal variations such as the Easter holiday and spring recess at schools. Continue Reading...

January 06, 2014

A Letter on Work and Worth

The following is a letter written in response to a post from my friend Brad Littlejohn on the topic of the minimum wage. Dear Brad, Thank you for your thoughtful and substantive engagement on the question of the minimum wage. Continue Reading...

December 09, 2013

10 Things You Should Know About the Minimum Wage Debate

1. Both sides of the debate believe they are arguing in defense of the poor. Most people who support or oppose minimum wage laws and/or increases share a common objective — helping the working poor. Continue Reading...

September 27, 2013

Extreme Couponing as Workfare

I’m not an aficionado of the show Extreme Couponing, but I have seen it a couple times, and have been amazed at the industriousness of the people on the show. Continue Reading...

September 12, 2013

Why Has the Economic Recovery Bypassed Young People?

In his latest column, Tyler Cowen points out that whatever economic recovery we’ve experienced has “largely bypassed young people,” arguing that such a development is bound to have an impact for years to come: For Americans aged 16 to 24 who aren’t enrolled in school, the employment picture is grim. Continue Reading...

September 04, 2013

Why Not Have Multiple Minimum Wages?

American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean. It has a total land area is 76.1 square miles, slightly more than Washington, D.C., Continue Reading...

August 29, 2013

Maximizing labor, minimizing wages

For this week’s Acton Commentary, ahead of Labor Day weekend, I write about “working harder and smarter,” lessons we can learn from Ashton Kutcher and Mike Rowe. One of the implications of connecting hard work with smart work is that the difficulty of work on its own does not determine its value in the marketplace. Continue Reading...

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