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  3. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
  4. January 2016
  5. The Contribution of the Minimum Wage to US Wage Inequality over Three Decades: A Reassessment

The Contribution of the Minimum Wage to US Wage Inequality over Three Decades: A Reassessment

  • David H. Autor
  • Alan Manning
  • Christopher L. Smith
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
vol. 8, no. 1, January 2016
(pp. 58-99)
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Abstract

We reassess the effect of minimum wages on US earnings inequality using additional decades of data and an IV strategy that addresses potential biases in prior work. We find that the minimum wage reduces inequality in the lower tail of the wage distribution, though by substantially less than previous estimates, suggesting that rising lower tail inequality after 1980 primarily reflects underlying wage structure changes rather than an unmasking of latent inequality. These wage effects extend to percentiles where the minimum is nominally nonbinding, implying spillovers. We are unable to reject that these spillovers are due to reporting artifacts, however. (JEL J22, J31, J38, K31)

Citation

Autor, David H., Alan Manning, and Christopher L. Smith. 2016. "The Contribution of the Minimum Wage to US Wage Inequality over Three Decades: A Reassessment." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 8 (1): 58-99. DOI: 10.1257/app.20140073

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • J22 Time Allocation and Labor Supply
  • J31 Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
  • J38 Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs: Public Policy
  • K31 Labor Law
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