EPI in the news

• The truth about tariffs

  Many economists challenge the logic behind tariffs and suggest they hurt more industries than they help, but some economists favor tariffs. Robert E. Scott of the Economic Policy Institute, a pro-labor think tank, found that as of late 2018 hundreds of jobs had been created in the steel and aluminum sector and that there was “no evidence of the negative downstream effects” many economists had forecast. Others point out that U.S. taxpayers have subsidized those jobs, with cost estimates ranging from $300,000 to $2.3 million per job created.

  News Wise | July 12, 2019
• Weighing the larger costs of a $15 minimum wage

  “But even the CBO included scenarios in which no jobs would be lost. Economic Policy Institute economist Ben Zipperer says it’s an acknowledgement that raising the minimum wage hasn’t proven to be as dangerous as researchers once feared. He added that the CBO’s median estimate nonetheless appears overly pessimistic.”

  “’While they are acknowledging some of the research,’ Zipperer said, ‘I think they are drawing on older research that the new research has pointed out is problematic.’”

  90.3 KAZU | July 12, 2019
• Washington Post ‘analysis’ claims the CBO is wrong about the downside to raising the minimum wage. It just won’t tell you why

  The article quotes Economic Policy Institute economist Ben Zipperer, who claims the CBO report is actually “an acknowledgment that raising the minimum wage hasn’t proven to be as dangerous as researchers once feared.” He also claims the CBO draws on “older research that the new research has pointed out is problematic.”

  Neither Zipperer nor the Post explain which of the data cited by the CBO is “older” or contradicted by newer research.

  Washington Examiner | July 12, 2019
• The truth about tariffs

  But even the CBO included scenarios in which no jobs would be lost. Economic Policy Institute economist Ben Zipperer says it’s an acknowledgement that raising the minimum wage hasn’t proven to be as dangerous as researchers once feared. He added that the CBO’s median estimate nonetheless appears overly pessimistic.

  The Lowdown | July 12, 2019
• Senate, House push federal minimum wage increase

  Durbin’s office asserts that 2.3 million workers in Illinois earn less than $15 and hour in wages. Economic Policy Institute is cited as indicating wages for 40 million people nationwide would increase — or 30 percent of the workforce. According to Durbin’s math, that equates to $3,500 in annual pay increase to the average worker. The Economic Policy Institute, characterized by Politico as a “left-leaning” organization has also criticized the CBO report for being too conservative in its projected financial impact with a $15 per hour wage increase.

  The McDonough County Voice | July 12, 2019
• Thursday Morning Coffee

  “In Pennsylvania, raising the minimum wage to $15 is not going to lead to a “benefits cliff” because, as data from the Economic Policy Institute shows, most low-wage workers in Pennsylvania who would benefit from a minimum wage increase are single or married adults without dependent children (76 percent), and 55 percent work 35 hours or more per week,” the briefing paper reads.

  Pennsylvania Capital-Star | July 12, 2019
• Raising the minimum wage doesn’t hurt jobs—it improves people’s lives in ways you might not expect

  “While they are acknowledging some of the research,” the Economic Policy Institute’s Ben Zipperer told The Washington Post, “I think they are drawing on older research that the new research has pointed out is problematic.” Berkeley economist Michael Reich and UMass-Amherst economist Arindrajit Dube made similar points, with Reich saying that the CBO’s equal reliance on high- and low-quality studies “reveals an unwillingness to recognize the major differences in scientific quality among studies.”

  Daily Kos | July 12, 2019

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