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For our inaugural Debating Public Policy Series event, the UNC Program for Public Discourse invites two UNC faculty members to debate the advantages and disadvantages of President Biden’s recent proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $15.
Dr. Luca Flabbi of the UNC Department of Economics will argue in favor. Dr. Paige Ouimet of UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School will argue against. The debate is moderated by Kevin Marinelli, executive director of the UNC Program for Public Discourse.

Luca Flabbi, Ph.D is an Associate Professor in the UNC Department of Economics. Dr. Flabbi is an applied microeconomist and econometrician with expertise in labor/population economics and in applied econometric methods.

Paige Ouimet, Ph.D. has several research projects looking at income inequality and the role of firms. She also has researched ESOP (employee share ownership plans) and employee stock options and their impact on labor productivity, wages and turnover. Her research agenda is concentrated at the juncture of finance and labor economics. She is interested in in how decisions studied in finance impact employee stakeholders – specifically how those effects are reflected in firm performance and, hence, corporate finance decisions.

Kevin Marinelli, Ph.D. serves as executive director of the Program for Public Discourse and teaches in the Department of Communication. He teaches courses in rhetorical studies, and his scholarship centers on public argument. Currently, he is investigating practices of rhetorical citizenship.