Family Economics and Public Policy, 1800s–Present

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. 

​1. Introduction: Public Policy and Family Economics in US History.- 2. Families: Economic Functions and Decision-Making.- 3. The Path of US Fertility: Micro Decisions with Macro Consequences.- 4. Private and Public Investments in Children: Creating the Human Capital to Meet US Economic Needs.- 5. Labor Force Participation and Home Production: Evolving Rights, Roles, and Opportunities for Women and Men .- 6. The Economics of Changing Family Structures: The Public Interest in Marriage and Family Formation.- 7. Intergenerational Economics: Public and Family Support for Retirees in US History and Looking Forward.- 8. Family Economics, Public Policy, and Inequality: Diverging Family Fortunes and the Risk to the US Economy.