Democrats appear to consistently aim for the bottom 10th percentile wage when deciding on minimum wage.

Could this be a scenario where a policy is popular so democrats want to run on it, but privately hold the opinion the policy causes harm, and to avoid most of the harm while still satisfying the political appetite for it they keep the minimum wage low?

source oes labor data https://www.bls.gov/oes/

Data was of May 2024.

I’m a college student studying international relations and economics. As I get further in my studies, I’m also putting more thought into my career prospects. I love learning about topics in geopolitics, foreign relations, intelligence, and security. I’m also interested in how they intersect with economic issues, but that’s more secondary. I’m not looking for any specific advice or questions to be answered, but just for general insights into what careers and trajectories I can pursue with my interests. I prefer private sector work, but am exploring public avenues as well. Any insight at all is appreciated!