RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Do Living Wage Ordinances Reduce Urban Poverty?
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 490
OP 521
DO 10.3368/jhr.XXXVIII.3.490
VO XXXVIII
IS 3
A1 Neumark, David
A1 Adams, Scott
YR 2003
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/XXXVIII/3/490.abstract
AB Living wage ordinances typically mandate that businesses under contract with a city or, in some cases, receiving assistance from a city, must pay their workers a wage sufficient to support a family financially. We estimate the effects of these ordinances on wages, hours, and employment in cities that have adopted such legislation. We then examine the effects of these laws on poverty. Our findings indicate that living wage ordinances boost wages of low-wage workers. Moreover, we find a moderate negative employment effect. Finally, some of the evidence suggests that living wages achieve modest reductions in urban poverty.