Introduction -- Democratic theory -- Evolution of wage policy -- Post New Deal Era and the demise of wage policy -- New living wage movement -- Wage policy for the middle class -- Wage policy and the path towards democracy.

The concept of the minimum wage has undergone several rhetorical permutations. Originally conceived as a living wage, which would function as a family wage, it ultimately became a matter of macroeconomic policy, the goals of which were to achieve greater efficiency and in some cases economic...

Much of the debate over the minimum wage in recent years has essentially involved one between those arguing the adverse effect of raising the minimum wage--particularly among teenagers--and those who maintain that increases in the minimum wage would not only alleviate the poverty of some, but...