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.
Papers
A primer on SNAP work requirements
An explainer on work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP; formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) summarizes the research on work requirements and their efficacy.
Economic Security & Inequality
Employment & Wages
Social Insurance
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Posts
Work permit applications suggest prior immigration is still pushing up labor supply—for now
Employment & Wages
Immigration
Posts
Higher new Census population estimates will affect the employment report
Employment & Wages
Immigration
Posts
Low-income workers experience—by far—the most earnings and work hours instability
Economic Security & Inequality
Employment & Wages
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Strengthening labor standards and institutions to promote wage growth
For most of the period since the 1970s the United States has suffered from two trends: stagnant wages for most workers and rising inequality. In this paper, He…
The importance of strong labor demand
By conventional measures, the U.S. job market has suffered some degree of slack for about 70 percent of the time since 1980. The absence of persistent, strong …
How declining dynamism affects wages
Wages have stagnated in recent decades for typical workers. While a number of economic, policy, and technological developments bear some responsibility, econom…
Returning to education: The Hamilton Project on human capital and wages
Human capital is central to raising wages. This framing paper describes trends in human capital investment and educational attainment, and reviews the evidence…
The average American worker did not get much of a raise last year
On January 30, 2018, President Donald Trump delivered his first State of the Union address. In his speech, President Trump highlighted the significant growth a…
Lessons from the rise of women’s labor force participation in Japan
After lagging behind U.S. women for more than forty years, Japanese prime-age women have now caught up and exceeded the U.S. rate of labor force participation.…
Making work pay better through an expanded Earned Income Tax Credit
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a refundable tax credit that promotes work. Despite the strong evidence for the effectiveness of the EITC and recent bip…
Modernizing US labor standards for 21st century families
Women now make up almost half the U.S. workforce, and more than half of the U.S. population. Despite the central role women play in the economy, our labor laws…
