This paper outlines a research agenda to guide the initial stages of work of the new Notre Dame Strengthening Families (NDSF) Research Initiative in the U.S. This initiative is focused on building knowledge around the economics of families and evidence-based ways to promote and strengthen healthy families.
Building on the existing academic literature and the robust conversations from the Notre Dame Strengthening Families Research Symposium (December 5, 2024), this agenda proposes several areas for research, including questions about how to increase rates of marriage and family stability, how to improve outcomes for fragile and unmarried families, and how to reform systems that work with vulnerable families. It is the hope that this agenda inspires research and the creation of evidence that ultimately leads to stronger families and less poverty, less inequality, and a better society for all.
