Anna Claire Flowers

George Mason Economics | Archbridge Institute Family Policy Fellow

[Anna Claire Flowers @annacflowers]

@chellivia @ArchbridgeInst @VincentGeloso Thanks for sharing!

[Anna Claire Flowers @annacflowers]

Childcare regulations shape the range of options available to families. More childcare freedom -> more access, affordability, flexibility. We're proud to offer this resource covering one puzzle piece of family-friendly policy!

[Archbridge Institute @ArchbridgeInst]

🚨 Today, the @ArchbridgeInst released the inaugural edition of its new 'State Childcare Regulations Index,' comparing policies and regulations for center-based childcare facilities across all 50 states.

See how your state ranks: https://t.co/efphagdtbf #SCRI2026 🧵

[Archbridge Institute @ArchbridgeInst]

🚨 Today, the @ArchbridgeInst released the inaugural edition of its new 'State Childcare Regulations Index,' comparing policies and regulations for center-based childcare facilities across all 50 states.

See how your state ranks: https://t.co/efphagdtbf #SCRI2026 🧵

[Anna Claire Flowers @annacflowers]

Check out our recent work on social mobility and family life in the 50 states! @ArchbridgeInst

[The Institute for Family Studies @FamStudies]

Healthy family structures shape a child’s potential for mobility. Likewise, the surrounding public policy environment can either support or impede those opportunities. @annacflowers @clara_jace @JustinTCallais

[Archbridge Institute @ArchbridgeInst]

Our family policy fellow @annacflowers has a new op-ed on the Dell family's revolutionary approach to children's social mobility. She shares four reasons why philanthropy is superior to historic welfare programs. Check it out: https://t.co/GFbh2Rx1sE

[Anna Claire Flowers @annacflowers]

@ArchbridgeInst @FamResearchND @FamStudies

[Anna Claire Flowers @annacflowers]

In this op-ed, I share why I'm encouraged to see private companies jumping in to support American families 🧵
https://t.co/PRxuxRgFFc

[Anna Claire Flowers @annacflowers]

4) Corporate donations to Invest America accounts don't come with the hidden costs of government spending--higher taxes, inflation, increased gov't debt--making the funds more "real" and impactful than transfers or tax credits.

[Anna Claire Flowers @annacflowers]

Regulations help explain the gap between parent-facing child care costs and employee-facing wages. Small businesses who don't get the benefits of economies of scale (ie. having a center director with a college degree) are closing down, leaving families with fewer options.

[Hayek Program @HayekProgram]

How do regulations shape entrepreneurship in the child care industry?

PhD Fellow @annacflowers argues that well-intended rules can undermine stated policy goals for child care by inhibiting transparency, availability, and affordability for families.
https://t.co/yTMr5gSNoS

[Hayek Program @HayekProgram]

How do regulations shape entrepreneurship in the child care industry?

PhD Fellow @annacflowers argues that well-intended rules can undermine stated policy goals for child care by inhibiting transparency, availability, and affordability for families.
https://t.co/yTMr5gSNoS

[Brad Wilcox @BradWilcoxIFS]

"The tragedy of falling birthrates isn’t merely national decline, strained pensions or a shrinking labor force. It is the intimate, human loss--fewer brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles. Fewer people to whom we belong." @bethanyshondark https://t.co/l58R00jC3b

[Anna Claire Flowers @annacflowers]

@artcarden @IMurtazashvili Full volume here, many excellent entries: https://t.co/ozuvGAYVsk

[Anna Claire Flowers @annacflowers]

Looking for a concise resource on the economics of socialism to share with students, friends, or family members this holiday season? Look no further! @artcarden @IMurtazashvili and I in the Elgar Encyclopedia of Public Choice, published today 🎁 https://t.co/5ZpdRRTof3

[Rob Henderson @robkhenderson]

If your highest level of education is a high school diploma, you have only about a 9 percent chance of marrying someone with a college degree. If you have a college degree yourself, that probability rises to roughly 65 percent — and those numbers are from 2005, so they are likely even higher now.

This is known as assortative mating: people tend to choose partners similar to themselves in education, politics, personality, and more. What young people rarely hear is that college isn’t just for studying or preparing for a job. It’s a rare environment filled with people your age, with similar interests and comparable academic backgrounds — a situation you may never experience again.

Many graduates tell me they are surprised by how quickly their dating pool shrinks once they start working. Most colleagues are older, have families, or aren’t plausible partners. So toward the end of the piece, I argue that students should view college not only as a path to credentials, but also as one of the best places to meet a long-term partner.

[Clara E. Piano @clara_jace]

Recently, the lovely people at @iealondon provided me an opportunity to share my latest thoughts on fertility and policy. As always, the writing process clarified my thinking.

The report includes an argument for my preferred fertility statistic for policy debates (the gap between intentions and outcomes), the mechanical drivers of low fertility (low marriage rates and high housing costs), and sections on the promises and pitfalls of three types of policy interventions (“what aid can do,” “what freedom can do,” and “what creative thinking can do”).

But the most fun was making some bold claims about the only policy I think would “work” to bring fertility back above replacement — give parents the vote! (Not original to me, see @StephenESachs and @KleinfeldJoshua)

Link: https://t.co/UlMk4QVFtl

[Hayek Program @HayekProgram]

On this episode of the Hayek Program Podcast, @ccoyne1 is joined by Michael Romero, @NovakMikayla, and @annacflowers to discuss the enduring influence of Kenneth Boulding on how we understand peace and cooperation. https://t.co/kqju7O9LkI

[Anna Claire Flowers @annacflowers]

Tegan Truitt and I take a stab at explaining the coupling problem underlying fertility decline with a model of commitment scarcity as an emergent outcome of lower relationship exit costs. Available on SSRN now: https://t.co/DmDStHNwyH