Bringing in the state: The politics of wage regulation and low-wage employment (WAGEREG)

This project analyses the policies that states use to deal with low-wage employment. In particular, it seeks to explain why states differ in the tools they use to address low-wage employment. Working for very low wages has become more common in many developed countries. States have various tools to address this situation. They can introduce minimum wages by law, they can pay public benefits to top up low wages, or they can try to strengthen the collective bargaining between trade unions and employers. This project will compare to what extent developed countries use these tools. It will then seek to explain that variation using quantitative and qualitative methods. At the same time, the project develops a new, general understanding of how states influence wage setting and the wage distribution.