To making a convincing moral case against minimum-wage laws it’s helpful to distinguish between two kinds of ethical norms—those appropriate for families and other self-regarding small groups, and those suitable for larger groups whose members have little knowledge or concern for each other. Markets are better suited for the latter kind of morality and provide the best hope for low-wage workers to earn higher incomes.

Dwight R. Lee is a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute and Affiliated Visiting Faculty Fellow in the Institute for the Study of Political Economy in the Miller College of Business at Ball State University.
Culture and SocietyEconomyFamilyGovernment and PoliticsGovernment PowerLabor Law and RegulationLaw and Liberty
Other Independent Review articles by Dwight R. Lee
Summer 2023 Fiscal Recklessness, Path Dependence, and Expressive Voting
Summer 2019 The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy
Spring 2019 The Diversity Delusion: How Race and Gender Pandering Corrupt the University and Undermine Our Culture
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