Declining Prime-Age Male Labor Force Participation

The decline in the percentage of men ages 25 to 54 who work is an important political issue, and answering the question of what has caused this decline in prime age labor force participation is important for determining what policies are needed to address the problem.Scott Winship discusses the inadequacy of explanations for declining labor force participation that posit a decline in the number of employers willing to hire less-skilled, prime-age men at sufficient wages. The drop in participation is better explained by policy changes that discourage work.