The MacArthur Network on the Family and the Economy includes thirteen leading scholars in economics, sociology, developmental psychology, and public policy from major research universities throughout the United States.

The network explores issues such as marriage/divorce, family violence, and family members' use of time, as well as the role of families and communities in fostering successful child development.

Based on the need to understand better the connections between families, labor markets, and the economy as a whole, the network works to develop a new paradigm of family studies. It seeks to have an impact on the way social scientists think about the relationship between families and the economy. Virtually all the research proposed has important policy implications.

The network was formed by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 1997 and was supported by the Foundation for 10 years. The network continues to meet yearly. Over 100 scholarly papers and several books have been published by network members as a result of their interdisciplinary research. The network's hallmark collaborative research project, "Time, Love, and Cash among Couples with Children" (TLC3) resulted in the volume Unmarried Couples with Children, edited by network members Paula England and Kathryn Edin, published by the Russell Sage Foundation, 2007.