Family Economic Policy Lab

     The American Rescue Plan, last year’s pandemic relief package, could be the long-term strategy for ending child poverty in America . Studies conducted over the past year have found significant evidence that one policy expansion effectively reduces hardship, strengthens financial security for families and supports mothers in the workplace: the monthly Child Tax Credit.      In a recently published study by our own Dr. Leah Hamilton and colleagues surveyed some 1,200 parents who received the Child Tax Credit in monthly installments from July to December 2021. They also surveyed a comparison group of Americans with similar income levels in order to draw conclusions about the potential benefits of receiving a monthly tax credit in a wide range of areas including work, health, and financial stability.      We found that families were more financially secure, more likely to be working and better equipped to make healthy choices as a result o...

               Low-income families receiving public benefits in the United States are often subject to asset limits for eligibility, which some argue to be counterproductive to their long-term economic stability. Previous research suggests that families may be more likely to save when states increase these limits. Still, more research is needed to establish whether low-income families adjust financial decisions based upon TANF asset restrictions. Our study builds upon the Nam (2008) study, which analyzed the effects of “liberalizing asset limits'' on savings behavior. We utilized data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. The theoretical premise of this study is that when the asset limit is low, families are encouraged to avoid accumulating assets. Because building a savings account is a valuable first step toward self-sufficiency and eventual withdrawal from public assistance, a low asset limit appears to be a counterproductive public po...

     In Her Hands is a guaranteed income initiative focused on putting a solution to financial insecurity directly in the hands of women in Georgia. Due to historical and current inequalities in income and institutional supports, Black women are among the most likely group to experience cash shortfalls that make covering basic needs difficult. This is the result of pervasive economic disparities that have the sharpest impact on women, communities of color, and people who live at the intersection of the two.      In Her Hands, formed through direct community input, will provide an average of $850 per month for 24 months to 650 women in three communities in Georgia. This $13 million initiative, powered by a partnership with the GRO Fund and GiveDirectly, is already one of the largest guaranteed income programs in the South, a region where women of color face significant structural barriers to economic security and wealth-building. Direct, no-strings-attached ...

               Universal Basic Income (UBI), sometimes referred to as basic income, or guaranteed income, was made popular in current conversation by 2020 Democratic Presidential candidate, Andrew Yang. Providing a guaranteed income for citizens is not a newfound concept, rather, discussions of regular, guaranteed payment to all citizens are found throughout history. The creation of the concept of UBI was fueled by the need to rethink our current welfare state. With heightened levels of inequality, and fear for the future of welfare, research into the effectiveness of UBI is growing each year. Therefore, although the topic of UBI is growing in news and politics, many are still unaware of the basics.                There are currently many different models of UBI, and most models include a few common components. These commonalities include, the money being provided to individuals, usually on a month...