Zeitgeist

The Floor Beneath the Floor: Minimum Wage Economics

Books that map the economics, organizing history, and lived reality behind campaigns to raise the federal minimum wage, from undercover reporting on poverty-line work to the political structures that stall redistributive reform.

6 booksMay 3, 2026

SourcesShow 3 sourcesHide sources

Minimum wage, housing affordability, data center crackdown among NC Democrats' 2026...wral.com Democratic lawmakers introduce bill to raise federal minimum wage to $25 an hourcnbc.com Chicago members of Congress propose $25 national minimum wagefox32chicago.com

Part of 510+ tracked lists

1. Nickel and Dimed
Barbara Ehrenreich, Sara Bershtel
Undercover reporting that vividly shows how low wages and precarious work make living on the current low minimum...
Shelf signal: Economic Trends
2. There Is Power in a Union
Philip Dray
A sweeping history of American unions that explains the organizing strategies and political battles necessary to win...
Shelf signal: Labor & Workforce
3. Tyranny of the Minority
Steven Levitsky, Daniel Ziblatt
Analysis of modern democratic institutions and inequalities that helps explain why large redistributive reforms face...
Shelf signal: Conservatism & Liberalism
4. Poverty, by America
Matthew Desmond
A data-driven account of how American policy and private choices produce persistent poverty, clarifying the...
Shelf signal: Social Policy
5. The Divide
Jason Hickel, Jonathan Cowley
Global perspective on inequality that situates US wage debates within broader patterns of economic policy and global...
Shelf signal: Economic Development
6. When We Fight, We Win
Greg Jobin-Leeds, AgitArte
A concise account of contemporary social movements, including the origins and impact of the $15 campaign, useful for...
Shelf signal: Civil & Human Rights for Teens
Explore more on this shelf →

Related Shelves