2.5 page paper

ECO202 – Microeconomics

Unit 2 Assignment: The Living Wage

Due: Sunday by 11:59 pm at the end of Unit 2.

The Living Wage

As an alternative to the minimum wage, some localities have instituted a “living wage”

requirement in which employers must pay a wage designed to ensure low-wage workers and

their families can live above the poverty level. However, this effort has met with stiff

resistance from some interest groups, and generated considerable debate among economists

about whether the living wage ordinances are the best form of government intervention to help

low wage workers. Your assignment this week is to respond to the key questions below.

Key questions:

What specifically do “living wage” ordinances call for?

How is the “living wage” different from the “minimum wage?”

Who is helped, who is hurt by a living wage requirement?

What underlying data is used to justify a living wage requirement?

What are the long run impacts of a living wage requirement?

For overall arguments in favor of the living wage see the liberal think tank Economic Policy

Institute (search for living wage) at: http://www.epinet.org/

For overall arguments against the living wage see the conservative think tank National Center

for Policy Analysis (search for living wage) at: http://www.ncpa.org/

For more technical economic research opposing the living wage see the Employment Policies

Institute at: http://www.epionline.org/index_lw.cfm

For legal research in favor of the living wage see the Brennan Center for Justice at:

http://www.brennancenter.org/

Other articles (for and against)

“Perspectives on a Living Wage” at:

http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2006/wagingaliving/special_goodman_la.html

Organizations working in favor of the living wage:

Universal Living Wage Campaign: http://www.universallivingwage.org/

Living Wage Resource Center (Acorn): http://www.livingwagecampaign.org/

Your final product will be a paper that:

 Addresses each of the four questions above in total.

 Is APA fortatted.

 The body is to be 2 pages minimum.

The requirements for your assignment are:

1. Answer each question fully

2. Define the overall subject of each question.

3. Cite at least three (3) resources from this week’s materials.

Students: Be sure to read the criteria and review the grading rubric on the next page, by

which your paper/project will be evaluated, before you write, and again after you write.

Evaluation Rubric for Unit 2 Assignment

CRITERIA Deficient Proficient Exemplary Points

Earned

Overview of the

Topic 0-13 Points

Does not provide an

adequate overview

or is missing.

14-27 Points

Overview is

presented, though

may not be clear or

complete.

28-40 Points Overview is clearly

presented including

all criteria outlined

above.

Complete

Answers 0-11 Points Questions

unanswered and/or

poorly answered.

12-23 Points All questions

answered with 1-2

sentence inputs.

24-35 Points

All questions

answered with depth

and clarity.

References to

Course Materials 0-5 Points Less than 3

references, no

assimilation to the

questions.

6-10 Points 3 references,

minimal

assimilation to the

questions.

11-15 Points 4 or more references

and assimilations

show depth and

clarity.

APA Format 0-1 Point Format has errors

that impede

professional

presentation; and/or

APA not followed,

reference page

missing.

2-3 Points APA format and

reference page has

few errors that do

not impede

professional

presentation.

4-5 Points APA format and

reference page is

clear, professional,

and error free.

Writing Quality 0-1 Point More than 7 writing

errors, to include

spelling and

punctuation.

2-3 Points More than 4 writing

errors, to include

spelling and

punctuation.

4-5 Points No writing errors.

Total 100