Bauer held that wage regulation itself creates labor exploitation by suppressing competition

Evidence

Bauer denied the existence of disparities in bargaining power between capital and labor and the exploitation of workers. Only the absence of “independent competing alternatives” allowed exploitation in his framework: “Even illiterate poor workers will be paid what they are worth, if employers can obtain their services only by competing for them” (Bauer 1958b, 8). Since wage regulation stifled growth and limited employment, employers were denied opportunities to compete and were more likely to be forced to become exploitative (Bauer 1958b, 9). — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1325

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s broader project of understanding how early neoliberal thinkers inverted conventional welfare economics—competition rather than regulation protects workers. This is a signature move of the emerging MPS development discourse. — connects to: All wage labor is exploited regardless of wage level — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 98

Broader Connections

• All wage labor is exploited regardless of wage level #corroborates (0.75) — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 98