For most people, being unemployed is a simple question: Do you have a job or not? Even so, measuring the unemployment rate for the entire nation is not simple. There are different ways to determine who is employed and who is not, and these measures can produce very different conclusions about the unemployment rate and the state of the U.S. economy.

From the moment the minimum wage was established in 1938, Americans have debated the concept. Should there be a minimum wage – and why or why not? If we have one, what factors should determine its level?

Labor unions bargain with employers to improve employee pay, benefits, and working conditions as well as conduct legislative lobbying. However, unions are often criticized for blocking corporate innovation and forcing workers to pay membership dues regardless of whether they agree with the union’s bargaining strategy, and, in some cases, what a union’s legislative lobbying may entail. Why do unions exist, and what difference do they make for workers and employers?