The level of compliance with minimum wage laws often depends on factors specific to each labor market. In most developing countries, a substantial share of workers still earns less than the legal minimum. Enforcement has not kept up with growth in regulations to protect workers from low wages...

It is commonly believed that mandating higher legal minimum wages (LMWs) is needed to help the poor earn a level of income that would allow them healthy and dignified lives. It is also seen as a tool to protect the weak against exploitation. This popular belief motivates and justifies the...

It is a common belief that government should set legal minimum wages (LMW) to a level that would enable workers and their families to live decent lives. Evidence, however, has shown that a higher and more rapid pace of LMW growth leads to lower demand for labor overall. Specifically, it leads to...