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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Papers
July 9, 2018
Where work pays: How does where you live matter for your earnings?
Educational and occupational choices matter for your earnings, but where you work matters, too. Employment opportunities and wages in some occupations vary sub…
Posts
June 7, 2018
Independent workers and the modern labor market
An estimated 15.5 million U.S. workers have alternative arrangements for their primary employment—this includes independent contractors, on-call workers, tempo…
Posts
April 10, 2018
How women are still left behind in the labor market
Despite progress in recent years, women still face pay disparities in the labor market. In this blog, Hamilton Project Director Jay Shambaugh and Policy Direct…
Papers
March 15, 2018
How occupational licensing matters for wages and careers
Workers with a license tend to receive a wage premium relative to unlicensed workers. Using new data from the Current Population Survey, Ryan Nunn examines the…
Policy Proposals
February 27, 2018
A proposal for protecting low-income workers from monopsony and collusion
Labor market collusion or monopsonization—the exercise of employer market power in labor markets—may contribute to wage stagnation, rising inequality, and decl…
Policy Proposals
February 27, 2018
Coming and going: Encouraging geographic mobility at college entry and exit to lift wages
Geography is an important part of economic opportunity—but due to monetary and nonmonetary costs of migration, college attendance is less likely for those who …
Policy Proposals
February 27, 2018
Information is power: Fostering labor market competition through transparent wages
One of the challenges of wage stagnation is asymmetric information, whereby employers have a greater knowledge of the distribution of wages relative to workers…
Policy Proposals
February 27, 2018
Stagnation in lifetime incomes: An overview of trends and potential causes
Lifetime incomes have stagnated significantly since the 1960s. This paper presents policy proposals that aim to boost wage growth for younger workers.