Globalization and the Politics of Pay

Susan B. Hansen is a professor of political science and women's studies at the University of Pittsburgh and author of The Politics of Taxation: Revenue without Representation.

• List of Tables and Figures Preface 1. Globalization, Interstate Competition, and LaborLabor Costs and State CompetitivenessTheoretical FoundationsLabor Costs: Why So Low in the United States?The Impact of Competitive Federalism on Labor CostsPlan of the Book 2. The State Role in Labor CostsStates and Labor Costs Before the New DealNew Deal Efforts to Nationalize Labor MarketsTaft-Hartley and State Right-to-Work LawsContemporary State Efforts to Restrain Labor CostsMeasuring State and Federal Labor CostsWhat Matters 3.Explaining State Differences in Labor Cost TrendsConvergence or Divergence in State Labor Costs?States in the International EconomyEconomic and Demographic Trends and State Labor CostsState Labor Costs, Labor Unions, and Partisan TrendsPublic Preferences and IdeologyVoter Turnout and Trends in State Labor CostsComparing Economic, International, and Political FactorsConclusionWhat Matters 4.The Economic Effects of Cutting Labor CostsPrevious Research on State Labor Costs and Economic DevelopmentState/Local Taxes and State EconomiesState Economies and Federal PoliciesHypotheses, Data, and MeasuresThe Economic Effects of State Labor CostsExports, FDI, and State Economic TrendsConclusionWhat Matters 5. The Social and Political Consequences of Declining Labor CostsPossible Consequences of Reducing Labor CostsTesting for the Consequences of Trends in State Labor CostsEconomic Consequences of Declining Labor CostsSocial Consequences of Declining Labor CostsLabor Costs and Population TrendsTrends in Voter Turnout and State Labor CostsPolicy Consequences and Declining State Labor CostsTesting for the Independent Effects of Declining Labor CostsConclusionWhat Matters 6. Conclusion: Lessons Learned and Policy Options for the StatesThe Economists' Preferred Alternative: Investment in Human Capital A New Role for Organized Labor?Changing Health CareIncreasing Workers' WagesCreating Better JobsEuropean Alternatives to the Low-Wage StrategyThe Triumph of the Low-Wage Strategy?What Matters: Policy Recommendations for the States Appendixes A. Explaining State Differences in Labor CostsB. Time-Series Analysis of State Economic Outcomes, 1970-2000C. Analysis of Social Consequences of Declining Labor CostsD. Data and Sources Notes Reference Index

"The United States finds itself in the midst of a momentous transition to lower wages and living standards for millions of its workers. Susan Hansen's work addresses critical questions about what follows from an American economy in the midst of such a historic development. As the nation struggles to adjust to the forces of globalization, this book reminds us that these economic changes have undeniable consequences for state and local politics and policymaking." -- James G. Gimpel, professor, Department of Government and Politics, University of Maryland and editor, American Politics Research