Description
- Abstract:
- The federal minimum wage has not risen since 2009, marking the longest period without a federal minimum wage increase since its creation in 1938. As a result, more states now than ever before are raising their minimum wages. Previous literature has successfully detailed how deep red states and deep blue states act regarding their minimum wage policies but has failed to explain vast discrepancies in minimum wage policies among purple states. Analysis of six purple states with Republican legislatures reveals that the ballot measure plays a significant role in determining minimum wage policy in these states. Purple states that deny citizens the opportunity to draft and approve legislation through ballot initiatives consistently failed to raise the minimum wage. In purple states that allow ballot measures, two factors played a large role in the state’s ability to raise the minimum wage: existence of a large “blue dot” city and the state’s preemption of local minimum wage increases. This research demonstrates the important role the ballot measure plays as a tool used by citizens of purple states to raise their minimum wages. Ballot initiatives have become a check on state legislatures and are often successful in creating substantial changes in state minimum wage policies.
- Notes:
- Senior thesis (AB)--Brown University, 2020
- Concentration: Public Policy
Access Conditions
- Rights
- In Copyright
- Restrictions on Use
- All rights reserved. Collection is open for research.
Citation
Charnov, Brandon C.,
"The New Politics of the Minimum Wage: The Ballot Measure and Preemption"
(2020).
The Watson School of International and Public Affairs Theses and Dissertations.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://doi.org/10.26300/wz8q-2a72
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Collection:
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The Watson School of International and Public Affairs Theses and Dissertations
Theses and Dissertations for the The Watson School of International and Public Affairs department....