All Research
Blog Post
Welfare Reform and Its Discontents
…points. The jump was especially marked among never-married single mothers. During the three years from 1996 to 1999, their employment rate sky-rocketed from 50 percent to 65 percent. There were…
Op-Ed
30 Years of Welfare Reform And the Path Forward
…rates, high school graduation rates, test scores, teen pregnancy and drug use, among other metrics. Positive trends are even more pronounced for African American children.” Many of these positive markers…
Blog Post
Welfare Reform 30 Years Later: How Has Government Assistance Changed?
This month marks the 30th anniversary of welfare reform legislated with bipartisan support by a Republican-controlled Congress and a Democratic President. No piece of social policy legislation has since passed…
Report
Rings to Roofs, Part I: One Million Homes Through Marriage
…else. Marriage has three benefits for the housing market. First, increasing marriages would decrease the number of homes required in the housing market, by consolidating two households into one. This…
Op-Ed
The Path Ahead for Welfare Reform
In the years since the landmark 1996 welfare reform law — which marks its 30th anniversary today — policymakers have missed opportunities to apply its lessons and expand its reach to…
Op-Ed
The Test-Score Mystery
…LTT) released in June showed that nine-year-olds’ scores in 2025 improved substantially in both reading and math. Might these scores mark the beginning of a new era in U.S. education?…
Op-Ed
Status Defines Friendship for Too Many Americans
…in major media outlets. And the loneliness market has boomed: Venture capital firms are investing in social and relational health; technologists are selling companions and chatbots as cures for isolation; politicians and…
Op-Ed
The Cautionary Tale of Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan
…enrolled at The Primary School, a private institution funded by Mark Zuckerberg and Dr. Priscilla Chan, was distraught to learn that the school is closing. Like many parents — including…
Op-Ed
Thirty Years Later, Welfare Reform Is Still a Model That Works
…remarkable coalition for reform included almost all Republicans and most Democrats, eclipsing even support for legislation creating Medicare and Medicaid a generation before. The reforms marked the first end of a major New…
Blog
Rethinking Predatory Student Lending
…has no objective benchmark. In considering what constitutes an “unfair” interest rate, for example, it’s useful to remember that the interest rate is the price of credit: it reflects the…
Op-Ed
The Ever-Changing Definition of Adulthood and Its Cost
…are no longer covered by your parents’ health insurance? What about when they stop paying your cellphone bill? It is easier when society provides clear markers. Women used to live…
Commentary
Lessons from the 1996 Welfare Reform Law Approaching Its 30th Anniversary
…Act). That landmark legislation was notable for the remarkable reach of its proposed reforms, especially involving the nation’s most prominent cash welfare program, then called Aid to Families with Dependent…