Introduction

This is a book about the relationship between wage policy, whether in the form of a wage floor or other policies that serve to bolster wages, the distribution of income, and ultimately how that distribution impacts democratic theory. It is about the types of policies that are critical to the maintenance of a sustainable democracy. Why wage policy? Because wage policy has largely been ignored by democratic theorists. And yet, it impacts on the meaning of equality to the extent that it can impact on the overall income distribution. Equality is also core to democratic theory. While democratic theory doesn’t assume wage policy, or any type of public policy for that matter, it does assume equality. But it isn’t always clear just what is meant by equality, and depending on how it is defined, there may be different implications with regards to what is required. Democracy assumes, and in fact requires, individual autonomy. For individuals to be able to participate as full-fledged citizens, they need to be autonomous. Autonomy, however, may require more than the absence of constraints on human agency; it may in fact require policies that enable them to realize that agency, thereby enabling them to live independent lives. Therefore, to the extent that wage policies may achieve greater equality and more autonomy, wage policy must be viewed as being consistent with a broad definition of democratic theory. Because wage policy is able to impact on income distribution and ultimately equality, as well as impact on autonomy, it has a role to play in the maintenance of democracy.