Publications
The Family Economic Policy Lab investigates social policy alternatives to address social and economic inequality. A guiding principle in our work is that research must be accessible to academics, decision-makers, practitioners, and the public. We achieve this by disseminating our work through academic articles, project reports, and Op-Eds.
Please contact Dr. Leah Hamilton at hamiltonl@appstate.edu if you need full-text access to any of our academic publications.
Reports can also be found on our Projects page.
2026
- Working Paper: Brugger, L., Davis, S., Hamilton, L., Quick, A., Roll, S., Rollins, L., Smith, S., Zewdi, N., & Zhang, G. (2026). Financial Wellbeing and Employment in the First Year of a Choice-Based Guaranteed Income Model (SSRN Scholarly Paper No. 6991538). Social Science Research Network. https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=6991538
- Article: Zhang, G., Woronkowicz, J., Roll, S., Noonan, D., Hamilton, L., & Cowan, S. (2026). Empowering artistic labor: how guaranteed income enhances intrinsic motivation and fosters human flourishing. World Development Perspectives, 42, 100778. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wdp.2026.100778
- Newsletter: Cash Chronicles Spring 2026
- Report: deCamara, S., Ford, B., Goldin, N., Hamilton, L., Wallace, Q. L., Roll, S., Stith, L., & Zhang, G. (2026). Colorado Family Affordability Tax Credit Year One Evaluation Report. Family Economic Policy Lab.
- Article: Stanhope, K., Lewis, Q., Brugger, L., Hamilton, L., Roll, S., Rollins, L., & Zewde, N. (2026). Improvements in stress and sleep following 24-months of Guaranteed Income, results from a randomized trial among Black women in Georgia. Annals of Epidemiology, 114, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2025.12.010
2025
- Brief: Financial Services and Guaranteed Income: Evidence from the In Her Hands Program
- Report: In Her Hands Phase 1 Final Report
- Article: Brugger, L., Bellisle, D., Maag, E., Udani, A., Roll, S., Hamilton, L., & Lee, J. (2025). Child tax credit utilization in immigrant households: A focus on child investment and college funds. SN Business & Economics, 5(9), 109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43546-025-00871-2
- Newsletter: Cash Chronicles
- Report: PCCI Cohort 2 Report
2024
- Report: HudsonUP Year 3 Report
- Report: In Her Hands Year 1 Report
- Article: Hamilton, L., Bellisle, D., Brugger, L., Roll, S., Fox-Dichter, S., and *Pitman, E. (2024). “It saved us”: Parent perspectives of the 2021 expanded Child Tax Credit. SN Social Sciences, 4(26). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-023-00827-z.
- Article: Roll, S., Zheng, H., Hamilton, L., Despard, M., & Chun, Y. (2024). The impacts of the Child Tax Credit on financial resilience and the use of high-cost financial resources: Evidence from a panel survey. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research. https://doi.org/10.1086/73183
- Article: Roll, S., *Elliott, D., *Smith, S., *Quick, A., Brugger, L., Davis, S., & Hamilton, L. (2024). Does Guaranteed Income Build Assets for Black Women? Evidence from the In Her Hands Program. University of Michigan. https://doi.org/10.7302/24452
- Op-Ed: Hamilton, L. (2024, November 18). In Her Hands: A Path to Financial Security for Black Women in Georgia. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Policies for Action. https://policiesforaction.org/blog/her-hands-path-financial-security-black-women-georgia
- Op-Ed: Shanks, T., Romich, J., Nepomnyaschy, L., Hamilton, L., Fusaro, V., Kwasi Abusuampeh, D., & Bloxom, Q. (2024). Meeting the Grand Challenge to Reduce Extreme Economic Inequality: Policy Recommendations. Grand Challenges for Social Work.
2023
- Article: Hamilton, L., Choplin, V., & Paputseanos, T. (2023, Dec. 6). From scarcity to security: Participant well-being in the first 2 years of a basic income pilot. Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI). https://doi.org/10.1111/asap.12370
- Report: Catalyst Center et al. (2023). The Impact of the 2021 Expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) on Families Raising Children with Disabilities. Catalyst Center. https://ciswh.org/resources/the-impact-of-the-2021-expanded-child-tax-credit-ctc-on-families-raising-children-with-disabilities
- Book Chapter: Elliott, D., Hamilton, L., & Smith, S. (2023, Oct 18). Current and Recent Basic Income and Guaranteed Income Pilots in the United States [Book Chapter]. The Palgrave International Handbook of Basic Income. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-41001-7_23
- Article: Hamilton, L., Elliott, D., Quick, A., Smith, S., & Choplin, V. (2023, Sep 7). Exploring the Use of AI in Qualitative Analysis: A Comparative Study of Guaranteed Income Data. International Journal of Qualitative Methods. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069231201504
- Article: Jabbari, J., Anglum, C., & Hamilton, L. (2023, Jul 5). The Child Tax Credit, Educational Investments, and the American Dream: A Moderated Mediation Analysis. Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World. https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231231181899
- Article: Roll, S., Constantino, S.M., Hamilton, L., Miller, S., Bellisle, D., & Despard, M. (2023). How Would Americans Respond to Direct Cash Transfers? Results from Two Survey Experiments. Social Service Review. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/723522
- Article: Hamilton, L., Despard, M., Roll, S., Bellisle, D., Hall, C., & Wright, A. (2023, Feb 27). Does Frequency or Amount Matter? An Exploratory Analysis the Perceptions of Four Universal Basic Income Proposals. Social Sciences (MDPI). https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12030133
- Article: Hamilton, L., Choplin, V., & Paputseanos, T. (2023, Feb 16). From Scarcity to Security: Mental Well-being Outcomes in the First Two Years of a Basic Income Pilot. Authorea. [Submitted to Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy]. https://doi.org/10.22541/au.167650564.45189949/v1
2022
- Report: HudsonUP Year 2 Report
- Op-Ed: Hamilton, L. (2022, Apr 28). Data Speak Volumes in Support of Monthly Child Tax Credit | Opinion. Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/data-speak-volumes-support-monthly-child-tax-credit-opinion-1701188
- Report: Hamilton, L., Roll, S., Despard, M., Maag, E., Chun, Y., Brugger, L., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2022, Apr 13). The impacts of the 2021 expanded child tax credit on family employment, nutrition, and financial well-being: Findings from the Social Policy Institute’s Child Tax Credit Panel (Wave 2). Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-impacts-of-the-2021-expanded-child-tax-credit-on-family-employment-nutrition-and-financial-well-being
- Report: Roll, S., Hamilton, L., & Chun, Y. (2022, Mar 18). Expanded Child Tax Credit Payments Did Not Reduce Employment. Social Policy Institute. https://cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/sites.wustl.edu/dist/a/2003/files/2022/04/CTC-and-Employment-March-18-2022.pdf
2021
- Report: HudsonUP Year 1 Report
- Op-Ed: Hamilton, L. (2021, Oct 21). The Child Tax Credit could be Biden’s bipartisan silver bullet. Fortune. https://fortune.com/2021/10/21/child-tax-credit-biden-government-assistance-welfare-bipartisan
- Op-Ed: Jabbari, J., Hamilton, L., Roll, S., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2021, Sep 24). The new child tax credit does more than just cut poverty. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-new-child-tax-credit-does-more-than-just-cut-poverty
- Report: Social Policy Institute. (2021, Sep 15). How are families in the U.S. using their Child Tax Credit payments? A 50 state analysis. Social Policy Insitute. https://socialpolicyinstitute.wustl.edu/how-families-use-ctc-payments-united-states
- Article: Hamilton, L., Yorgun, M., & Wright, A. (2021, Jul 28). “People Nowadays Will Take Everything They Can Get”: American Perceptions of Basic Income Usage. Journal of Policy Practice and Research. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42972-021-00035-0
- Report: Hamilton, L., Despard, M., Roll, S., Bellisle, D., Hall, C.A., & Wright, A. (2021). Does Frequency or Amount Matter? Testing the Perceptions of Four Universal Basic Income Proposals. Social Policy Institute Research. https://doi.org/10.7936/xr7t-5764
- Article: Hamilton, L. (2021). Asset Limits in Public Assistance and Savings Behavior Among Low-Income Families. Social Science Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.111/ssqu.12874
2020
- Hamilton, L. (2020). Welfare Doesn’t Work: The Promises of Basic Income for a Failed American Safety Net [Series Book]. Exploring the Basic Income Guarantee [Series]. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-37121-0
2019
- Hamilton, L. & Martin-West, S. (2019). Universal Basic Income, Poverty, and Social Justice: A Moral and Economic Imperative for Social Workers. Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swz028
- Hamilton, L., Rothwell, D., Huang, J., Nam, Y., & Dollar, T. (2019, Jul 29). Guarding Public Coffers or Trapping the Poor? The Role of Public Assistance Asset Limits in Program Efficacy and Family Economic Well-Being. Poverty & Public Policy. https://doi.org/10.1002/pop4.244
- Hamilton, L. (2019, Jul 11). Does generous welfare policy encourage dependence? TANF asset limits and duration of program participation. Journal of Children and Poverty. https://doi.org/10.1080/10796126.2019.1638731
- Hamilton, L. & Mulvale, J.P. (2019, May 20). “Human Again”: The (Unrealized) Promise of Basic Income in Ontario. Journal of Poverty. https://doi.org/10.1080/10875549.2019.1616242