Rising unemployment, pinched household budgets, gyrating stock markets, falling home prices, frozen credit -- an economy in deep recession inflicts widespread pain.

Six new briefs show how Americans have fared during and after downturns since the 1970s, what might be ahead, and how government programs aid those in distress.
 

No. 1 in the series, Unemployment and Income in a Recession

This brief assesses how unemployment and household income changes as the economy moves through a recession and into recovery.

No. 2 in the series, Unemployment Insurance during a Recession

This brief examines how the Unemployment Insurance program responds during a recession and how that response may differ in the current recession from its response in the past.

No. 3 in the series, The Role of Welfare during a Recession

This brief examines how the TANF program (formerly AFDC) responds during a recession and how that response may differ in the current recession from its response in the past.

No. 4 in the series, SNAP and the Recession

This brief examines how the SNAP program (formerly food stamps) responds during a recession and how that response may differ in the current recession from its response in the past.

No. 5 in the series, The Recession and the Earned Income Tax Credit

This brief assesses the extent to which the Earned Income Tax Credit can help families hit by job losses and falling incomes during a recession.

No. 6 in the series, Health Coverage in a Recession

This brief examines how the Medicaid and SCHIP programs respond during a recession and how that response may differ in the current recession from their responses in the past.  It also assesses the extent to which health insurance coverage may decline as unemployment rises.