GCO Policy Research Library
Explore our research on safety net reform, employment, criminal justice reform, and more.
At the Georgia Center for Opportunity, we believe public policy should remove barriers, expand opportunity, and help people thrive. Our research focuses on practical solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing individuals, families, and communities—from criminal justice reform and civil asset forfeiture to employment, public safety, poverty, and safety net reform.
Criminal Justice Reform
Civil Asset Forfeiture
Employment
- Increasing Employment Opportunities for Ex-Offenders (2013)
- Hiring Well, Doing Good in Georgia: Employment and Earnings Patterns and Perspectives on Policy (2018)
- Q&As on Hiring Ex-Offenders: A Guide for Georgia Employers (2018)
- Youth Apprenticeships in Georgia: Experiences and Recommendations (2019)
- Impact of State Pandemic Responses on Employment (2021)
- State Pandemic Response: State-Specific Data (as of March 2022)
- Impact of Nonwork: A Review of Published Literature (2024)
- The Benefits of Work: A Review of Published Literature (2024)
Marriage Penalties
- Marriage Penalties in the Earned Income Tax Credit: Why They Occur and How to Alleviate Them (2026)
- How Congress Can Eliminate Marriage Penalties in the U.S. Tax Code (GCO & Institute for Family Studies, 2025)
Public Safety
Poverty
Safety Net Reform (General)
- Solving the SNAP Benefits Cliff (2023)
- Cooperation Needed to Solve Welfare Cliff Problem (2020)
- Welfare Cliffs Pervasive in 8 Southeast States (2020)
- The Benefits Cliffs Problem—Worse Than You Think? (2024)
- Solving Medical Assistance Benefits Cliffs (Revised 2025)
- Workforce Engagement: A Missing Link in Understanding Income Inequality (2024)
- End Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility in SNAP and Address Benefit Cliffs (GCO & AEI, 2025)
- Eliminating the Benefit Cliff and Achieving Savings for Taxpayers (GCO & AEI, 2025)
- Stranded by the Safety Net: How to Fix the Benefit Cliff Problem (GCO/A4O & AEI, 2025)
- Solving Benefits Cliffs in Child Care Assistance Programs (2025)
Safety Net Reform (Georgia-Based)
- Deep Red Valleys (2017)
- Executive Summary: Disincentives for Work and Marriage in Georgia’s Welfare System (2017)
- Disincentives for Work and Marriage in Georgia’s Welfare System (2017)
- A Real Solution for Health Insurance and Medical Assistance Reform (2018)
- Systemic Welfare Reform in Georgia: Part 1 – The Case for Reform (2018)
- Systemic Welfare Reform in Georgia: Part 2 – Principles and Framework for Reform (2018)
- Systemic Welfare Reform in Georgia: Part 3 – How the New System Will Work (2018)