Wage Policy, Income Distribution, and Democratic Theory

‘For more than twenty years, Oren Levin-Waldman has conducted pioneering work, not only on minimum wages and wage contours, the earned income tax credit, and democratic theory, but also on the living-wage movement in the context of struggles over economic development and conceptions of citizenship. Wage Policy, Income Distribution, and Democratic Theory is the culmination of that work. Looking beyond the Great Recession, Levin-Waldman draws our attention to the equally serious Great Stagnation, a silent depression in wages that has gripped working families in the United States for decades. And he persuasively argues for a pragmatic solution: a combination of institutions and legislation—a wage policy—that can accelerate aggregate demand, boost employment, and spur economic development. But such a policy also has another, equally vital consequence: it can reduce income inequality in a way that enhances personal autonomy, gives meaning to the notion of personal responsibility, and fortifies democracy by strengthening opportunities for political and civic participation. In short, Levin-Waldman has put his finger on what may be the central domestic political issue of our time and the book deserves the widest possible audience in academic, practitioner, and policy circles’.

- Charles Whalen, Visiting Fellow, School of Industrial & Labor Relations, Cornell University, USA

‘For more than twenty years, Oren Levin-Waldman has conducted pioneering work, not only on minimum wages and wage contours, the earned income tax credit, and democratic theory, but also on the living-wage movement in the context of struggles over economic development and conceptions of citizenship. Wage Policy, Income Distribution, and Democratic Theory is the culmination of that work. Looking beyond the Great Recession, Levin-Waldman draws our attention to the equally serious Great Stagnation, a silent depression in wages that has gripped working families in the United States for decades. And he persuasively argues for a pragmatic solution: a combination of institutions and legislation—a wage policy—that can accelerate aggregate demand, boost employment, and spur economic development. But such a policy also has another, equally vital consequence: it can reduce income inequality in a way that enhances personal autonomy, gives meaning to the notion of personal responsibility, and fortifies democracy by strengthening opportunities for political and civic participation. In short, Levin-Waldman has put his finger on what may be the central domestic political issue of our time and the book deserves the widest possible audience in academic, practitioner, and policy circles’. - Charles Whalen, Visiting Fellow, School of Industrial & Labor Relations, Cornell University, USA

"This books makes a useful contribution to the normative and empirical literature on labor policy in the United States. Those interested in the history of wage policy, the political hurdles that tand in the way of its adoption, and the key arguments in favor of a more active wage policy should find it quite interesting." - Nathan J. Kelly, University of Tennessee