Divergent Paths: Differential Impacts of Minimum Wage Increases on Individuals with Disabilities
Using American Community Survey data and state-level minimum wage variation during the 2010s, the authors find that large minimum wage increases significantly reduce employment and labor force participation for individuals with severe disabilities, alongside an increase in public assistance receipt. They raise concerns about labor market policies' unintended consequences for populations on the margins of the labor force. (Clemens, Gentry & Meer, NBER)
Revisiting the Employment Effects of the Americans with Disabilities Act
Lise, Pastorino and Pistaferri revisit Acemoglu and Angrist using Survey of Income and Program Participation data, which separate work limitations from other functional limitations. Over a longer sample period, they find the ADA reduced the employment and wages of people with work limitations. It had a substantial and significant positive effect on the employment of people whose physical or mental limitations are not work-impacting. (Working paper, November 2023)
Consequences of Employment Protection? The Case of the Americans with Disabilities Act
In this 2001 study using Current Population Survey data, Acemoglu and Angrist find the ADA had a negative effect on the employment of disabled men of all working ages and disabled women under age 40. The ADA reduced hiring of disabled people but did not affect separations, and the effects were larger in medium-size firms and in states with more ADA-related discrimination charges. (Journal of Political Economy, 2001)