Unintended Consequences

Was Milton Friedman Wrong about the Minimum Wage?

January 15, 2026·29 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

As Milton Friedman thought that the weight of careful research about the negative effects of the minimum wage would lead to an overwhelming consensus among economists and ultimately end public support for the policy. It didn’t work out that way, as anyone old enough to remember the “Fight for Fifteen” movement knows. Peter and Paul discuss Richard McKenzie’s article about Friedman’s prediction, why Friedman got it wrong, and the furor over an influential 1994 study that showed no negative employment effects.In conjunction with Regulation Magazine Winter 2025 Edition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Podzilla Summary coming soon

Sign up to get notified when the full AI-powered summary is ready.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.

Listen to This Episode

Get summaries like this every morning.

Free AI-powered recaps of Unintended Consequences and your other favorite podcasts, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.