Publications
The Hamilton Project produces and commissions policy proposals and analyses to promote broad-based economic growth by embracing a significant role for well-designed government policies and public investment.
Economic Facts
Seven economic facts about prime-age labor force participation
This set of economic facts takes stock of the labor market through May 2025, paying particular attention to prime-age labor force participation.
Employment & Wages
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Posts
Proposed SNAP cuts would permanently undermine recession readiness and responsiveness
Economic Security & Inequality
Social Insurance
Tax Policy & Budget
Posts
Will the reconciliation bill’s Child Tax Credit changes leave out children in low-income working families?
Economic Security & Inequality
Tax Policy & Budget
Posts
Work requirements penalize workers in volatile occupations
Employment & Wages
Social Insurance
Tax Policy & Budget
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Unemployment insurance and macroeconomic stabilization
Low recipiency rates and an imperfect Extended Benefits program weaken the unemployment insurance program’s effectiveness during recessions. Gabriel Chodorow-R…
The damage done by recessions and how to respond
Automatic stabilizers are designed to expand during an economic downturn and contract during an expansion—providing timely and temporary fiscal stimulus. Boush…
How difficult is it to find a job?
Despite a steadily improving U.S. labor market in recent years, unemployed workers today have more trouble finding a job than they did at the peak of the last …
What explains occupational licensing?
To explore the underpinnings of occupational reforms, this post explores the explanations of “public interest” and “public choice.”
Is the continued rise of older Americans in the workforce necessary for future growth?
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 ana…
Women staging a labor force comeback
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 i…
Has job growth reached America’s struggling places?
Where is employment growing the fastest? In this analysis, The Hamilton Project uses its own Vitality Index to assist in comparing job growth across places sin…
Exploring the geography of prosperity
In a new analysis, Ryan Nunn, Jana Parsons and Jay Shambaugh highlight a new Hamilton Project interactive that shows where and how places are thriving—or strug…
