Skip to main content

Research Archive

Welcome to Our Research Archive

Search and filter by content type, issue area, author, and keyword

February 3, 2026

Thankfully, Hunger in the US Remains Rare

Hunger in the United States, as most people understand it, is thankfully rare. According to the most recent Household Food Security in the United States report, approximately 5 percent of US households had “very low food security” at some point in 2024. This measure, defined as reduced food intake due to a lack of money,…

By Angela Rachidi

February 2, 2026

Poverty and Dependency in the United States, 1939–2023

Abstract We compare trends in absolute poverty before (1939–1963) and after (1963–2023) the War on Poverty was declared. Our primary methodological contribution is to create a post-tax post-transfer income measure using the 1940, 1950 and 1960 Decennial Censuses through imputations of taxes and transfers as well as certain forms of market income including perquisites (Collins…

By Richard Burkhauser | Kevin Corinth

January 27, 2026

How to Prevent a Repeat of Massive Fraud and Abuse

Welfare fraud scandals in Minnesota have focused the nation’s attention on benefit abuse, and the US Department of Labor recently detailed a team there to investigate whether unemployment insurance (UI) benefits have been ripped off. There’s a good chance the answer is yes, and that some of the blame resides with how we pay for…

By Matt Weidinger

January 22, 2026

The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Should Not Subsidize Stay-at-Home Parents

Last week, the Republican Study Committee released a legislative framework intended to make the American Dream more affordable. The goal is laudable, and many of the ideas are sound. But among the ideas that should be sent to the chopping block is a proposal to allow stay-at-home parents to claim the Child and Dependent Care…

By Kevin Corinth

January 22, 2026

Last Year’s Income Tax Cuts and This Year’s Tax Refunds

Many taxpayers will get a tax windfall this year. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OB3), which was signed into law in July 2025, retroactively cut individual income taxes to January 2025. Many have pointed out that taxpayers who did not change their income tax withholding after the passage and paid too much over the…

By Kyle Pomerleau | Huaqun Li

January 22, 2026

Democrats Face Stark Choice on Housing Affordability

Affordability, especially lowering housing costs, enjoys bipartisan political support — at least in theory. But affordability is a goal, not a specific program, and even progressive Democrats can break with each other on how to achieve it. That’s the lesson learned from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recent housing proposal, one that sets the relatively moderate Democrat…

By Howard Huosck

January 21, 2026

Funding the Administration of Unemployment Benefits: Overview and Reforms to Improve Efficiency and Program Integrity

Executive Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant flaws in the nation’s unemployment insurance (UI) system, which resulted in the improper payment of at least $191 billion—and potentially upwards of $400 billion—in taxpayer funds. The direct causes of those extensive losses included the poor design of temporary federal benefit programs, which opened the door to abuse,…

By Matt Weidinger

January 20, 2026

Committee on National Statistics Public Seminar: Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency: A Timeless Resource

Kevin Corinth of the American Enterprise Institute participated in a panel discussion centered on Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency, a report that since 1992 has articulated the essential role of relevant, credible, trusted, impartial, and innovative government statistics in informing decisions by policymakers, businesses, families, and the general public. The report describes…

By Kevin Corinth

January 13, 2026

Major Changes Coming to SNAP in 2026

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called food stamps) is an important safety-net program that helps reduce hunger and decrease poverty among US households. At the same time, SNAP has significant flaws that make it inefficient, less effective than it could be, and in some cases harmful to upward mobility. However, recent actions by…

By Angela Rachidi

January 12, 2026

The “Upward Mobility Act” Seeks to Overcome Benefit Cliffs

Recent scandals in Minnesota have spotlighted billions of dollars lost to welfare fraud across multiple food, health, and childcare programs. Yet even when not being actively ripped off, those programs can still unintentionally yield negative outcomes, such as when they discourage work and keep families trapped in government programs for too long. That’s the message of a…

By Angela Rachidi | Matt Weidinger