The Princeton economists were surprised when their wide survey in the fast-food industry did not conform to their expectations.

This gauge is inherently biased, the Princeton economist points out, because unsuccessful funds often die young and are thus never counted in the sample.

Uwe Reinhardt, a Princeton economist, dismisses the practical consequences of such a debate.

"The hospital industry is by its very nature a mature industry," said Mr. Reinhardt, the Princeton economist.

The job market is also penalizing workers who do not have the necessary computer skills, according to Alan B. Krueger, a Princeton economist.

The Princeton economists also look at countries where the minimum wage is much closer to the average - and thus ought to have sharper impact on employment.

Orley Ashenfelter, a Princeton economist, commented that the methods used in the study have made labor economics a "powerful science."

But the Princeton economist is hardly enthusiastic about the New York approach.

Alan Blinder, a Princeton economist, is a recent convert to pessimism.

Princeton economists are obligated to teach two course a year.