They also summarize their evidence in their 2008 book Minimum Wages.

FORBES: Resources on the Minimum Wage

Nancy Folbre, an economist at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, argued in her 2008 book "Valuing Children" that forgone wages should be included in the cost of raising children.

WSJ: Kids Can Be Costly Long After They Turn 18

Mr Bewley's book is not the last word on sticky wages.

ECONOMIST: Why wages do not fall in recessions

In his book, Vedder cites Bureau of Labor Statistics showing that Wal-Mart's wages lag the retail-industry average by just a small margin, an expected result given that the bulk of its stores are located in low-income areas.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Public-sector unions wield undue influence, argues Steven Malanga of the Manhattan Institute, author of a book on the subject, since they help to elect the very people who set their wages.

ECONOMIST: Taking on the public-sector unions

"They have a giant warehouse so they have to pay rent, pay wages for warehouse employees and carry a huge amount of inventory at their own risk, because not every book is going to get sold, " says 7-Eleven Japan Vice Chairman Masaaki Kamata.

FORBES: I Got It @7-Eleven