Lauren Bauer

In this analysis, we examine how prime-age working (ages 25–54) men and women allocate their time, overall and by parental status. This analysis shows that for some, especially mothers, caregiving and other household obligations reduce the amount of time that can be spent looking for work and working.

The Hamilton Project analyzes the characteristics and labor force participation of Americans who were living in poverty in 2018. Researchers found that although the poverty rate has declined, barriers remain to lifting households out of poverty.

The final rule on work requirement waivers, released on December 4, 2019, weakens SNAP's role as an automatic stabilizer and a critical element of the safety net. The Hamilton Project analysis finds that the final rule would respond more slowly to a recession than current rules as well as the proposed rule, would curb a state’s ability to apply for work requirement waivers when its economy is weak or relatively weak compared to the overall national economy, and would severely limit access to SNAP during a sluggish recovery.

In an analysis of veterans and the work force, The Hamilton Project finds that school enrollment and disability status are among the most important factors in determining veterans’ labor force participation. 

A new data interactive by The Hamilton Project—which includes data for every school and zip code in the U.S.—examines factors that affect learning at local elementary, middle and high school levels.

The Hamilton Project finds that changing employment and school enrollment patterns have contributed to declining labor force participation among youth, aged 16 to 24.

The latest analysis from The Hamilton Project explores how teenagers (16–19-year-olds) have shifted away from working or seeking work and the impact this change has on the broader labor force participation rate. 

Early childhood education improves school readiness and has impacts not only into adulthood, but on the next generation, according to commentary by Fellow Lauren Bauer on the latest Head Start Impact Study.

Work requirements impede SNAP’s dual role as a safety net and automatic stabilizer. This economic analysis provides new evidence about how waivers to these rules functioned during the Great Recession and how the USDA’s proposed rules would have worked had they been in effect from 2007 to present.

Despite a growing aging population in the U.S. in recent decades, labor force participation among older Americans continues to rise. A new Hamilton Project analysis examines the significance of this trend on the economy’s potential future growth. 

Each March, we celebrate Women’s History Month. The Hamilton Project takes this opportune moment to reflect on women’s changing labor market fortunes and its impact on the U.S. economy. 

In this economic analysis, Fellow Lauren Bauer characterizes those who were living in poverty in 2017—many facing significant barriers to working their way out of poverty including caregivers, students and the disabled.