"Raising the minimum wage has benefits way beyond creating more wealth for workers", 31 August 2017

The debate over minimum wages normally pits Democrats, who argue higher incomes are a matter of fairness, against Republicans, who argue that higher wages harm employment... To researchers Lindsey Bullinger and Kerri Raissian, this debate fails to acknowledge the wider importance of minimum wages in raising social standards–for example, the effect in reducing or contributing to violence in the home. In a new paper, they look at the relationship between states that have passed minimum wage increases and 30 years of official figures for child maltreatment. They find that every $1 increase in minimum wages results in 9,700–or almost 10%–fewer cases annually. Minimum wage levels affect household ability to buy clothing, food, and medical care, the researchers argue, affecting whether a child is likely to be mistreated.