The effects of minimum wages on employment: Theory and evidence from Britain

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Dickens, R; Machin, S; Manning, A
• 署名单位: University of London; London School Economics & Political Science; University of London; University College London
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF LABOR ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0734-306X
• DOI: 10.1086/209911
• 发表日期: 1999
• 页码: 1-22
• 关键词: fast-food industry; panel-data; subminimum wages; councils; california; MARKET; LAWS

摘要

Recent work on the economic effects of minimum wages has stressed that the standard economic model, where increases in minimum wages depress employment, is not supported by empirical work in some labor markets. We present a general theoretical model whereby employers have some degree of monopsony power, which allows minimum wages to have the conventional negative impact on employment but which also allows for a neutral or positive impact. Studying the industry-based British Wages Councils between 1975 and 1992, we find that minimum wages significantly compress the distribution of earnings but do not have a negative impact on employment.