Clara E. Piano is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics, Finance, and Quantitative Analysis at Samford University. She holds a PhD in Economics from George Mason University. Her primary areas of research are family economics, the economics of religion, and political economy. Beyond economics, Clara enjoys reading and discussing Catholic Social Thought.
As some of the financial benefits to marriage have eroded, it can be tempting to use policy to make family formation more attractive. The rising median age at first marriage and first birth, however, largely arise from a mix of technological progress and preference for career, which aren't things policies can reverse. Better solutions come from civil society, where entrepreneurs work to find solutions to the everyday problems modern parents face and religious communities help young adults order their priorities.
Date posted: 2022-12-13
Conservatives have recently set aside their natural wariness of government intervention to propose new "pro-family" welfare programs, such as Senator Romney's Family Security Act. In post-Roe America, the search for ways to support families is more pressing than ever. The problem is that there is very little evidence that these types of policies work.
Date posted: 2022-08-18