All Research
Op-Ed
Thirty Years Later, Welfare Reform Is Still a Model That Works
As the 30th anniversary of the historic 1996 welfare reform law approaches on August 22, its legacy remains remarkably positive. Official government data confirm the law’s results include more work…
Commentary
Lessons from the 1996 Welfare Reform Law Approaching Its 30th Anniversary
…Welfare Reform Angela Rachidi, Matt Weidinger, and Scott Winship, A Safety Net for the Future: Overcoming the Root Causes of Poverty, October 2022 Matt Weidinger, Missing the Big Picture on…
Op-Ed
Trump Takes Dramatic Step Toward Curbing Rampant Fraud in State Unemployment Programs
The Trump administration is threatening to use “every available enforcement tool” to compel states to better protect unemployment benefits against fraud and abuse, which is elevated following an especially severe…
Op-Ed
Americans Still Believe in Work. The AI Crowd Hasn’t Gotten the Memo
When a famous right-wing tech titan, several liberal senators, and even the president of the United States simultaneously call for massive new work-free government handouts, it’s worth taking note. It remains…
Op-Ed
Are Big Families the Solution to Declining Fertility?
“Big families are like waterbed stores,” comedian and father of five Jim Gaffigan jokes. “They used to be everywhere, and now they’re just weird.” But he might have to update his…
Op-Ed
Albany Acts to Rescue Kids from Deadly Abuse—10 Years Too Late
…or companion animals” and “sexual abuse or other sexual offenses against the child or the other party.” “That history may be a strong indicator of future behavior in these matters,”…
Op-ed
New York Families Are Doing Better Than You’ve Heard
…that city’s middle class is “disappearing.” Relative class standing matters in some contexts. If the cars that the richest Americans drive or the houses they buy are sufficiently luxurious that…
Commentary
Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Data Continue to Amaze—and Not in a Good Way
On May 18, or more than 1,700 days after an alphabet soup of temporary federal unemployment benefit programs expired in 2021, the US Department of Labor (DOL) issued a 34-page…
Commentary
Zoning Creates Not Just a Housing Affordability Problem, but a Childcare Affordability Problem Too
…development, no matter how crucial. Among the many goods and services limited by zoning, childcare is arguably among the most constrained. Among other challenges, childcare is often seen as too…
Commentary
Bill Would Require States to Use Future Federal Funds to Repay Unemployment Loans First
Yesterday Rep. Vince Fong (R-CA) introduced H.R. 8892, the “Creating Accountability in Loan (CAL) Repayment Act,” which amends federal law governing loans to states that have exhausted their unemployment insurance…
Op-Ed
When Washington Picks Up the States’ Tab, Waste and Fraud Follow
Congress has caught on that how welfare and related programs are funded, and who does the spending, helps explain how much fraud and abuse they suffer. That’s one lesson from…
Op-Ed
Dem Policymakers Plan to Exploit AI Job Fears to Push the ‘Perfect Recipe for Fraud’
Behind the scenes in Washington, many policymakers are planning for an economic disruption: potential job displacement caused by AI. Yet some act like today’s safety net doesn’t exist, despite the…