Religions 2017, 8(4), 74; doi:10.3390/rel8040074
The Economic and Ethical Implications of Living Wages
Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15282, USA
Academic Editors: Kate Ward and Kenneth Himes
Received: 9 March 2017 / Revised: 13 April 2017 / Accepted: 14 April 2017 / Published: 20 April 2017
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Growing Apart: Religious Reflection on the Rise of Economic Inequality)
View Full-Text
|
Download PDF [169 KB, uploaded 20 April 2017]
Abstract
Although rhetoric about wages and jobs often emphasizes the effects of globalization, questions remain as to whether United States workers are paid adequately to sustain a reasonable standard of living. One solution is to implement a living wage, which is accurate and specific to a local economy but more computationally complex than a one-size-fits-all minimum wage. When considered economically, a living wage has the potential to increase business and production costs as well as lower profits and cause job loss. From ethical viewpoints articulated in Catholic social thought, sustainable wages enhance human dignity by supporting human agency, encouraging creativity, and permitting contributions to the common good. This article explores whether the positive ethical outcomes of implementing a living wage outweigh any possibly negative, unintended economic results. View Full-TextKeywords:
economic inequality; social justice; interdisciplinary studies; living wages; just wages; economic implications; ethical implications
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (CC BY 4.0).
Share & Cite This Article
MDPI and ACS Style
Konigsburg, J.A. The Economic and Ethical Implications of Living Wages. Religions 2017, 8, 74.
Note that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.
Related Articles
Article Metrics
Comments
[Return to top]
Religions
EISSN 2077-1444
Published by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland
RSS
E-Mail Table of Contents Alert
Logo copyright Steve Bridenbaugh/UUA