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Collective Bargaining, Social Insurance, and the Minimum Wage: A Program for a Living Wage

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The Political Economy of a Living Wage

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in American Economic History ((AEH))

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Abstract

This chapter addresses the question of whether advocates for a living wage felt they had succeeded in accomplishing their goal. It will look at how supporters of a living wage such as The New Republic and John Ryan interpreted the overall accomplishments of the New Deal. It will then review the legacy of the New Deal to consider why the components of its program for a living wage did not result in all workers attaining that standard. The finding of the chapter is that the rise of Keynesian economics and consumerism shifted the focus of the Progressives away from the achievement of a living wage. Still, the New Deal legacy of social programs gave a base for current advocates for a living wage to build on.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St. Mary’s City, Maryland, USA

    Donald Stabile

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  1. Donald Stabile
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Stabile, D. (2016). Collective Bargaining, Social Insurance, and the Minimum Wage: A Program for a Living Wage. In: The Political Economy of a Living Wage. Palgrave Studies in American Economic History. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32473-9_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32473-9_7

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-32472-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-32473-9

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