0
Iron Law of Wages states 'the wages of labour will have a tendency to fall' (Excerpted, condensed and edited from Ricardo: The Principles of Political Economy and Taxation for comparison and comparison of conflict only)
In the natural progression of society, the wages of labour will have a tendency to fall, insofar as they are regulated by supply and demand; for the supply of labourers will continue to increase at a greater rate, while the demand for them will increase at a slower. I say that, under these circumstances, wages would fall if they were regulated only by the supply and demand of all labourers; but we must not forget that wages are also regulated by the prices of the commodities upon which they are expended.
As populations increase, these necessaries will be constantly rising in price, because more labour will be necessary to produce them. If, then, the money wages of labour should fall, while every commodity on which the wages of labour were expended rose, the labourer would be doubly affected, and would be soon totally deprived of subsistence... These, then, are the laws by which wages are regulated, and by which the happiness of far the greatest part of every community is governed. Like all other contracts, wages should be left to the fair and free open competition of the market, and should never be controlled by the interference of the legislature.
The clear and direct tendency of any 'poor' laws is in opposition to those obvious principles: it is not, as the legislature benevolently intended, to amend the condition of the poor, but to deteriorate the condition of both poor and rich; instead of making the poor rich, they are calculated to make the rich poor; and while the present laws are in force, it is quite in the natural order of things that the fund for the maintenance of the poor should progressively increase till it has absorbed all the net revenue of the country, or at least so much of it as the state shall leave to us, after satisfying its own unfailing demands for the public expenditure. Answerer's Note: Fundamental premise, i.e. 'supply of Labourers will continue to increase' is false. Negative growth rates exist in the majority of developed nations Further premise, i.e. 'that wage regulation depends upon commodity prices upon which they are expended' fails to allow for globalization. To be fair, however, Ricardo predated large-scale globalization by over a century. Lastly, 'poor' laws, after proving to be politically and morally untenable, are deeply buried in history's dust heap
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoPopulation
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
David ricardo iron law of wages?
David Ricardo's "iron law of wages" basically states that parents would have more children if wages were raised. These children would then expand the number of workers and lower wages as they entered the labor market. Then, wages would fall and the workers would have fewer children. The process would then start over as wages would once again rise. He used this logic to advocate that wages would always tend toward a minimum level in the long run, hence the "iron law of wages" with static, unchanging wages. Many employers used this argument to support their natural reluctance to raise wages. This "iron law of wages" was also used to provide theoretical support for opposing labor unions.
What were the wages like in the 1700s for a blacksmith?
Wages were about 6 Shillings (60c) in that era
What happened to wages in most industries during World War 1?
Hourly wages for blue-collar workers rose
Colonial powers harmed their colonies by?
Keeping wages low and taxes to high
Did the wages rise when the prices rose after world war 2?
No.
What is the Iron Law of Wages?
The Iron Law of Wages was first proposed by Ferdinand Lassalle. It is a law of economics that states that wages always tend toward the minimum amount necessary to sustain the life of the worker.
David Ricardo's theory called the Iron Law of Wages came to be called?
David Ricardo's theory called the Iron Law of Wages came to be called the Theory of Efficiency of Wages. The Iron Law of Wages says that the worker is going to be paid the minimum wage needed to survive.
What goes through cycles according to iron law and wages?
Population goes through cycles according to iron law and wages.
Who wrote the iron law of wages?
Dr. Seuss
What was Thomas Malthus' minimum wage theory?
The Iron Law Of Wages
Which of the following best describes david ricardo's iron law of wages?
David Ricardo's "iron law of wages" basically states that parents would have more children if wages were raised. These children would then expand the number of workers and lower wages as they entered the labor market. Then, wages would fall and the workers would have fewer children. The process would then start over as wages would once again rise. He used this logic to advocate that wages would always tend toward a minimum level in the long run, hence the "iron law of wages" with static, unchanging wages. Many employers used this argument to support their natural reluctance to raise wages. This "iron law of wages" was also used to provide theoretical support for opposing labor unions.
David ricardo iron law of wages?
David Ricardo's "iron law of wages" basically states that parents would have more children if wages were raised. These children would then expand the number of workers and lower wages as they entered the labor market. Then, wages would fall and the workers would have fewer children. The process would then start over as wages would once again rise. He used this logic to advocate that wages would always tend toward a minimum level in the long run, hence the "iron law of wages" with static, unchanging wages. Many employers used this argument to support their natural reluctance to raise wages. This "iron law of wages" was also used to provide theoretical support for opposing labor unions.
What goes through cycles according to the theory iron law of wages?
population
What kind of science did David Ricardo's theory of the iron law of wages come to be called?
DISMAL
What kind of science did david ricardo's theory called the iron law wages come to be called?
DISMAL
What kind of science did David Ricardo's theory called the iron law of wages come the be called?
DISMAL
What economist wrote in Iron Law of Wages that it was pointless to increase wages because this just led to families having more children and that their wages would only cover the cost of necessi?
David Ricardo
