{"id":622,"date":"2014-07-01T05:17:57","date_gmt":"2014-07-01T05:17:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/researchandinvestment.com\/?p=622"},"modified":"2014-07-01T05:17:57","modified_gmt":"2014-07-01T05:17:57","slug":"full-employment-and-the-path-to-shared-prosperity-dissent-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thepatientinvestor.com\/index.php\/2014\/07\/01\/full-employment-and-the-path-to-shared-prosperity-dissent-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Full Employment and the Path to Shared Prosperity | Dissent"},"content":{"rendered":"

Great summary of the current political gridlock by Dean Baker and Jared Bernstein:<\/p>\n

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There are many policies that can reduce inequality, but there is none as straightforward conceptually and as difficult politically as full employment. The basic point is simple: at low rates of unemployment, the demand for labor allows workers at the middle and bottom of the wage distribution to achieve gains in hourly wages, annual hours of work, and thus income.<\/p>\n

Levels of unemployment are not the gift or curse of the gods; they are the result of conscious economic policy. The decision to tolerate high rates of unemployment is a choice. It is one that has enormous implications not just for the millions of people who are needlessly unemployed or underemployed but also for tens of millions of workers in the bottom half of the wage distribution whose bargaining power is undermined by high unemployment.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It is pretty obvious that low unemployment would enhance wage growth amongst middle- and low-income workers. But the policies to create low unemployment are not as clear:<\/p>\n