The minimum wage - summed up in one cartoon!

This cartoon is a fantastic way to summarise the minimum wage debate as it shows the viewpoint of the two opposing sides - great for some evaluative discussion.

After we have had a discussion about the cartoon, I then pose the question about what an economist might think of the minimum wage issue (as opposed to workers vs business owners). This generates a bit more debate and then I show them this youtube clip from the “Good Intentions” series where black economist Walter Williams bemoans the existence of the minimum wage as one of the key factors in keeping the black population in the USA poor. Its an oldie but a goodie - guaranteed to get your students thinking!