The Hamilton Project > Papers

The Marriage Gap: The Impact of Economic and Technological Change on Marriage Rates

The Hamilton Project — 2012-02-03T01:51:24+00:00

The Hamilton Project examines the decline the marriages over the last 50 years, highlighting the correlation between income level and likelihood of marrying. The decline in marriage is concentrated among less-educated, lower-income Americans.

The Hamilton Project Policy Response to the State of the Union Address

The Hamilton Project — 2012-01-25T18:06:54+00:00

Last night, President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address, putting forth his policy agenda to the 112th Congress on issues. Since its launch in 2006, The Hamilton Project has developed targeted policy proposals that touch on many of these areas, which we offer as a resource to policymakers in response to specific ideas mentioned by the President last evening.

Shrinking Job Opportunities: The Challenge of Putting Americans Back to Work

The Hamilton Project — 2012-01-06T14:01:02+00:00

The Hamilton Project compares trends in unemployment duration before and after the Great Recession and finds that the probability of finding new employment is considerably lower today than it was before the recession.

What is Happening to America’s Less-Skilled Workers? The Importance of Education and Training in Today’s Economy

The Hamilton Project — 2011-12-02T12:31:08+00:00

The Hamilton Project explores the employment and earnings trends facing America’s less-educated workers over the last few decades, and highlights training and workforce development opportunities that could be part of the policy solution.

Raising Job Quality and Skills for American Workers: Creating More-Effective Education and Workforce Development Systems in the States

The Hamilton Project — 2011-11-30T10:09:51+00:00

Less educated workers often experience prolonged periods of unemployment and stagnating wages because they lack the skills necessary to compete in a global economy. In a new Hamilton Project paper, Harry J. Holzer proposes a set of competitive grants to fund education, training, and career counseling initiatives that feature private sector connections based on the experience of existing successful workforce development programs.

Building America’s Job Skills with Effective Workforce Programs: A Training Strategy to Raise Wages and Increase Work Opportunities

The Hamilton Project — 2011-11-30T10:09:09+00:00

Amid the Great Recession and rapid technological changes, both workers with less education and workers who have been displaced from long-tenured jobs face challenges because they lack the particular skills that employers demand for good-paying jobs. In a new Hamilton Project strategy paper, Michael Greenstone and Adam Looney address the importance of developing workers’ skills through training and workforce development programs, and examine newly available evidence on policies that boost job opportunities and wages.

Policies to Reduce High-Tenured Displaced Workers’ Earnings Losses Through Retraining

The Hamilton Project — 2011-11-30T10:08:03+00:00

After being displaced from long-tenured jobs, workers often experience persistent, significant earnings losses. New research suggests that retraining in certain “high-return” fields can substantially reduce these losses. In a new Hamilton Project paper, Louis S. Jacobson, Robert J. LaLonde and Daniel G. Sullivan propose the establishment of a Displaced Worker Training (DWT) Program to distribute grants to displaced workers so they can obtain longer-term training to substantially increase their earnings. The DWT Program would also leverage the nation’s One-Stop Career Centers to assess and counsel grantees.

Unemployment and Earnings Losses: The Long-Term Impacts of The Great Recession on American Workers

The Hamilton Project — 2011-11-04T12:47:03+00:00

The Hamilton Project explores the experiences of workers who lost their jobs during the height of the Great Recession and finds that even those workers who have found new employment often earn significantly less than before.

What Is Happening to America’s Children? A Look At The Widening Opportunity Gap for Today’s Youth

The Hamilton Project — 2011-10-07T12:51:09+00:00

Resources available to children can have long-term effects on their quality of life. The Project examines the family earnings devoted to the typical American child and finds that half of children are now worse off than their counterparts 35 years ago.

Improving Student Outcomes: Restoring America’s Education Potential

The Hamilton Project — 2011-09-27T03:04:32+00:00

For decades, education has boosted U.S. productivity and earnings, forged a path out of poverty for many families, helped disadvantaged students narrow the learning gap with their peers, and developed a workforce that continues to be among the most productive and innovative on Earth. However, in recent years educational attainment and performance have stagnated. In a new strategy paper, The Hamilton Project provides a dual-track approach to improving educational outcomes for K-12 students by addressing structural barriers and implementing short-term cost-effective reforms to improve student performance.