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
Explore All Publications
The slowdown in productivity growth and policies that can restore it
Improving labor productivity is important to sustain economic output and power long-run growth—yet productivity growth has generally declined over the past hal…
Reforming the patent system
A Hamilton Project proposal by Lisa Larrimore Ouellette and Heidi Williams of Stanford University offers several reforms to the U.S. patent system. Improving t…
Innovation policies to boost productivity
John Van Reenen of MIT and the Sloan School of Management proposes an ambitious Grand Innovation Challenge Fund that would increase U.S. investment in research…
To target aid to the neediest families, we need to strengthen TANF
During the COVID-19 pandemic, broad-based income support through both direct checks and unemployment insurance have been essential in limiting the income losse…
Examining options to boost essential worker wages during the pandemic
In this analysis, Ryan Nunn, Jimmy O'Donnell, and Jay Shambaugh consider several policy options that could help boost workers’ wages. The authors also prov…
Incomes have crashed. How much has unemployment insurance helped?
The rapid contraction of the economy this spring has shattered records for the speed of onset of a recession. One of the most economically important pieces of …
The labor market experiences of workers in alternative work arrangements
In 2017, over 15 million workers (about 10 percent of the total U.S. workforce) were in alternative work arrangements. In this economic analysis, Ryan Nunn and…
Unpredictable and uninsured: The challenging labor market experiences of nontraditional workers
This blog post explores two important labor market disadvantages observed for nontraditional workers: more volatile hours and less health insurance coverage.
