"The minimum wage (MW) can improve the position of disadvantaged groups by reducing the incidence of low pay and promoting pay equality. Some relevant contentious questions of policy are summarized here: issues concerning coverage (which sectors included/excluded, the preponderance of the low-paid in sectors where workers are poorly represented and organized, the relevance of a MW in the informal sector); the controversy surrounding the impact of the MW on employment, notably whether it has greater impact on the composition than on the level of employment; and causal factors in the male/female wage gap."

Support: Paper