Fighting for Fifteen: Does Increasing the Minimum Wage Help the Economy?

Worker groups around the country are demonstrating for the purpose of increasing the minimum wage while experts and policy makers debate the effect of such change. Proponents say a higher minimum wage helps low-skilled workers and boosts the economy. Opponents say increasing the minimum wage decreases employment and raises the cost of living. In this episode of Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams interview Dr. Antony Davies from George Mason University and Dr. David Madland from American Progress. Together they discuss discuss economic and social principles associated with the minimum wage as well as who ultimately ends up paying for it. Tune in to learn more about the effects on fixed incomes, morale of workers, and quality of work.

Dr. Antony Davies is an associate professor of economics at Duquesne University and a Mercatus Affiliated Senior Scholar at George Mason University. His primary research interests include econometrics and public policy. Davies has authored over 100 op-eds in over thirty newspapers including the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, and Philadelphia Inquirer.

Dr. David Madland is the Director of the American Worker Project and the Managing Director of the Economic Policy team at American Progress. He has written extensively about the economy and American politics on a range of topics including retirement policy, labor unions, and the minimum wage. Madland has appeared on the the PBS News Hour and CNN’s Crossfire. He has been cited in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post as well as been a guest on dozens of radio talk shows across the United States. David worked for Rep. George Miller (from California) and has testified before Congress and state legislatures.

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