Nancy K. Cauthen, PhD

Dr. Nancy K. Cauthen is a political and historical sociologist, and she directs NCCP’s research and policy work on family economic security. A major goal of her work is to illuminate the connections between family economic status and children’s chances for success.

Nancy’s current research focuses on federal and state work support policies and their impact on low- to middle-income working families. She directs the Making “Work Supports” Work project. Designed to help policymakers and advocates create comprehensive work support systems, the project identifies and analyzes state- and federal-level reforms that would help low-wage workers better meet their families’ needs and improve their children’s life chances. The initiative builds on NCCP's innovative Family Resource Simulator.

Nancy speaks nationally about child and family poverty in the Unites States, low-wage employment, and work support policies. In addition to these topics, she has written extensively about welfare reform, the inadequacies of the federal poverty measure, why Social Security matters for children, and other policy issues that affect low- to moderate-income families.

A recognized authority on the history and dynamics of American social welfare policy since the New Deal, Nancy is committed to applying the lessons of history to contemporary policy debates. Her published historical work focuses on Aid to Families with Dependent Children, Social Security, general assistance, and the Depression-era Works Projects Administration (WPA).

Nancy received her PhD in Sociology from New York University and a Master's degree from the University of Michigan.