The Iron Law of Wages, proposed by economist David Ricardo, suggests that wages tend to gravitate towards a subsistence level due to population pressures and competition in the labor market. As the economy goes through cycles of growth and recession, wages may temporarily rise during prosperous times, but eventually, they will revert to this subsistence level as more workers enter the market, driving wages back down. Thus, despite short-term fluctuations, the long-term trend is for wages to stabilize at a level that meets basic living needs.
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