Economists' new research shows positive effects of minimum-wage increases

(PhysOrg.com) -- As various states consider minimum wage increases, and with Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama proposing that the minimum wage be increased and indexed to adjust for cost-of-living increases, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley's Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) have found that such increases do benefit the lowest-paid workers and do not have negative effects on their employment.