Overview
- Highlights how the interplay of public policy and family economic decision-making have driven innovation and prosperity within the US economy
- Examines the historical and present-day policies that have purposely or inadvertently advantaged some families over others, leading to persistent inequalities
- Explores different ways in which policy can help people achieve their productive potential as the US economy moves into the mid-twenty-first century and faces new challenges
- Tracks dramatic changes in the American family and the evolution of the US economy from the 1800s–present
Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in American Economic History (AEH)
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About this book
This book explores family economic decision-making in the United States from the nineteenth century through present day, specifically looking at the relationship between family resource allocation decisions and government policy. It examines how families have responded to incentives and constraints established by diverse federal and state policies and laws, including the regulation of marriage and of female labor force participation, child labor and education policies—including segregation—social welfare programs, and more. The goal of this book is to present family economic decisions throughout US history in a way that contextualizes where the US economy and the families that drive it have been. It goes on to discuss the role public policies have played in that journey, where we need to go from here, and how public policies can help us get there. At a time when American families are more complex than ever before, this volume will educate readers on the often unrecognized role that government policies have on our family lives, and the uncelebrated role that family economic decision-making has on the future of the US economy.
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Keywords
Table of contents (8 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Megan McDonald Way is Associate Professor and Chair of the Economics Division at Babson College, USA. She teaches graduate and undergraduate microeconomics principles and undergraduate labor courses. Her research focuses on intergenerational financial transfers within families, specifically how demographic changes in family structure are affecting the way money gets passed between the generations. She also studies gender earnings gaps, particularly among the self-employed. Prior to her career in academia, Dr. Way spent eight years as a marketing professional in the software industry.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Family Economics and Public Policy, 1800s–Present
Book Subtitle: How Laws, Incentives, and Social Programs Drive Family Decision-Making and the US Economy
Authors: Megan McDonald Way
Series Title: Palgrave Studies in American Economic History
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-43963-5
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan New York
eBook Packages: Economics and Finance, Economics and Finance (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-137-43961-1Published: 30 August 2018
Softcover ISBN: 978-1-349-95908-2Published: 10 December 2019
eBook ISBN: 978-1-137-43963-5Published: 29 August 2018
Series ISSN: 2662-3900
Series E-ISSN: 2662-3919
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIX, 315
Number of Illustrations: 26 b/w illustrations
Topics: Economic History, North American Economics, Children, Youth and Family Policy, Cultural Economics