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 620+ tracked lists·49% reader overlap with May Day and the Long Fight Against Concentrated Wealth

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