Saturday, March 19, 2005
Does raising the minimum wage hurt the ability of firms to create jobs?
This debate is underway in New Hampshire, where emotions have run high in the past. Learn more.
The minimum wage debate is often hijacked by ideologues on either side. Liberals argue that increasing the minimum wage is a direct way to increase real incomes for the working poor (which it can). Conservatives argue that raising the minimum wage destroys jobs (and the economic evidence is far less clear).
The argument misses the point, in my view.
Our real challenge is this: We are not producing enough skilled people to grow our economy. High income jobs require post secondary education. A high school diploma is no longer enough for a middle class job.
Yet, we are producing far too few young people with strong skills and post-secondary career plans. We have far too many people who either drop out of high school or who graduate from high school with weak skills and no career focus.
posted by Ed Morrison |
links
Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site:
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Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
Download some background information on me here.
Debating the minimum wage in New Hampshire
