This article examines how New Deal commitments to a living wage were overturned by neoliberal market forces after the 1970s capital accumulation crisis. A period of urban financialization followed, characterized by a shift of urban fortunes away from labor and toward capital. Today’s living wage movement critiques the resulting economy in which top-tier success is linked to declining worker prospects. Advocates argue that businesses receiving government contracts or subsidies should pay a living wage that allows workers to support the average family in reasonable comfort. This article explores arguments for and against this movement, using Denver, Colorado, as a case study.
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