We discuss recent work evaluating the role of the government in shaping the economy during the long 19th century, a practice we refer to as industrial policy. We show that states deployed a vast variety of different policies aimed at, primarily, but not exclusively, fostering industrialization....

Introduction -- The history of the minimum wage in the United States -- The effects of minimum wages on employment -- Minimum wage effects on the distribution of wages and earnings -- The effects of minimum wages on the distribution of incomes -- The effects of minimum wages on skills -- The...