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
Read More
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
Explore All Publications
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…
Improving TANF’s countercyclicality through increased basic assistance and subsidized jobs
The design of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program prevents it from providing sufficient assistance to families with children during econ…
Strengthening SNAP as an automatic stabilizer
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is both an effective antipoverty program and a natural automatic stabilizer, expanding when the economy is…
Direct stimulus payments to individuals
Consumer spending, which makes up about 70 percent of aggregate expenditures in the economy, slows sharply during recessions. This slowdown can exacerbate empl…
How do work requirement waivers help SNAP respond to a recession?
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 rul…
Workers could lose SNAP benefits under Trump’s proposed rule
Following the announcement of a plan to reform SNAP rules, Fellow Lauren Bauer offers analysis suggesting that strict enforcement of work requirements will san…
Health conditions keep many SNAP participants out of the labor force
As federal and state policymakers continue to seek solutions to bring more Americans into the workforce, such as imposing and expanding work requirements on mi…
Work requirements and safety net programs
This paper characterizes the types of individuals who would face work requirements in SNAP and Medicaid, describes what their work experiences are over a two-y…
