Art Carden on the Unintended Consequences of Well-intentioned Policies

By Aaron Newell Prices are the conductors of the economic orchestra that guide resources from places where they have relatively low value to places where they have relatively high value. When these prices are interfered with, people are left worse off than if the prices had been left alone. Art Carden, Associate Professor of Economics […]

Could Arkansas’s New Minimum Wage Increase Poverty?

By Aaron Newell How is the new minimum wage increase going to affect Arkansans? After passing with 68% of the vote in November, the minimum wage will rise to $11 an hour by 2021. Some say it will provide Arkansans with a living wage. Others say it will force businesses to lay off employees. But […]

Would a Minimum Wage Increase Help or Hurt Workers?

By. Dr. David Mitchell and Aaron Newell Would a higher minimum wage be a win for the little guy? Would it help families struggling to earn a living? Would companies let workers go? These are the questions in front of voters in November. A minimum wage is a price floor for low-skilled workers. Businesses must […]

How high should the minimum wage be in Arkansas?

By Caleb Taylor How high is too high? That’s the question UCA Assistant Professor of Economics and ACRE Scholar Jeremy Horpedahl considers in two recent media appearances regarding raising the minimum wage in Arkansas. Arkansans will vote on whether to continue to increase the minimum wage in Arkansas to $11 per hour in 2021. Arkansas […]