Economic Development Quarterly

 

Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here to learn more!

Click here for more information

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (1)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Reynolds, D.
Right arrow Articles by Vortkamp, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
Economic Development Quarterly, Vol. 19, No. 1, 45-61 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0891242404268634

The Effect of Detroit’s Living Wage Law on Nonprofit Organizations

David Reynolds

Jean Vortkamp

Wayne State University

A common argument made against local passage of living wage laws is that they harm nonprofit organizations by compelling employers—with tight, strained budgets—to increase wages. Ninety-six nonprofits covered by Detroit’s living wage law were contacted 1 1/2 years after the 1998 law had gone into effect. Although a small number of nonprofit employers needed help to implement the living wage requirements, overall, the living wage law neither had a negative effect on nonprofit organizations nor did it result in appreciable job losses. The study’s findings are relevant not simply to other municipalities whose laws cover nonprofit employers but to living wage laws generally. If living wage laws are harmful to employers or employees, the effect should be most pronounced among the most vulnerable employers—namely, nonprofit organizations. This research confirms that living wage requirements do not generally pose a significant cost relative to contract amounts, employers’overall budgets, or the local municipal budget.

Key Words: living wage • nonprofit organizations • wage policy • public policy


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Urban Affairs ReviewHome page
I. Martin
Do Living Wage Policies Diffuse?
Urban Affairs Review, May 1, 2006; 41(5): 710 - 719.
[Abstract] [PDF]