American journal of public health | 2021
Wage-Setting Policies, Employment, and Food Insecurity: A Multilevel Analysis of 492\u2009078 People in 139 Countries.
Abstract
Objectives. To examine the association between wage-setting policy and food insecurity.Methods. We estimated multilevel regression models, using data from the Gallup World Poll (2014-2017) and UCLA s World Policy Analysis Center, to examine the association between wage setting policy and food insecurity across 139 countries (n\u2009=\u2009492\u2009078).Results. Compared with countries with little or no minimum wage, the probability of being food insecure was 0.10 lower (95% confidence interval\u2009=\u20090.02, 0.18) in countries with collective bargaining. However, these associations varied across employment status. More generous wage-setting policies (e.g., collective bargaining or high minimum wages) were associated with lower food insecurity among full-time workers (and, to some extent, part-time workers) but not those who were unemployed.Conclusions. In countries with generous wage-setting policies, employed adults had a lower risk of food insecurity, but the risk of food insecurity for the unemployed was unchanged. Wage-setting policies may be an important intervention for addressing risks of food insecurity among low-income workers. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print February 18, 2021: e1-e8. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306096).