Liya Palagashvili
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Senior Research Fellow
Liya Palagashvili is a senior research fellow and director of the Labor Policy Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Her research focuses on labor regulations, the gig economy, and the changing nature of work. Her writing has been published in academic journals, in books, and in media outlets such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. She regularly writes for her Substack, Labor Market Matters, and for a column at The Hill. Palagashvili has testified before several state legislatures as well as for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. She serves on the Data Users Advisory Committee for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and is a scholar at New York University School of Law. She was previously awarded as a Forbes ‘30 under 30’ in Law & Policy. Before joining the Mercatus Center, Palagashvili was a professor of economics at State University of New York-Purchase and a Visiting Scholar at King’s College London. She earned her PhD in economics at George Mason University.
Latest Work
- | Labor Markets Labor Markets
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Labor’s Hidden Monopoly: Why the FTC Should Probe Union Power Too | Labor Market Matters (Substack)
- | Monetary Policy Monetary Policy
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Macro Musings Macro Musings
Liya Palagashvili on the Gig Economy, Portable Benefits, and Changing Labor Regulations

- | Labor Markets Labor Markets
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How Portable Benefits Can Drive US Innovation and Job Growth | The Hill
- | Labor Markets Labor Markets
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Virginia’s Portable Benefits Bill: Legalizing Access to Benefits for the Independent Workforce
- | Labor Markets Labor Markets
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
New Study: From Gig to Gone? ABC Tests and the Case of the Missing Workers | Labor Market Matters
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Minimum Wage Laws and Job Search
- | Labor Markets Labor Markets
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Influencers Are Here to Stay — Now It’s Time To Modernize Labor Laws | Reason
- | Labor Markets Labor Markets
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Unpacking Union Power: Trade-offs and Impacts on Jobs | Commonwealth Foundation’s “Disunion: The Government Union Report”
- | Labor Markets Labor Markets
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
America’s Stone Age Ports: How Unions Block Progress | Stossel TV
- | Labor Markets Labor Markets
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
A Fresh Look at the Independent Workforce With New BLS Data | Labor Market Matters
Latest Work
- | Labor Markets Labor Markets
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Labor’s Hidden Monopoly: Why the FTC Should Probe Union Power Too | Labor Market Matters (Substack)
- | Monetary Policy Monetary Policy
- | Mercatus Original Podcasts Mercatus Original Podcasts
- | Macro Musings Macro Musings
Liya Palagashvili on the Gig Economy, Portable Benefits, and Changing Labor Regulations

- | Labor Markets Labor Markets
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How Portable Benefits Can Drive US Innovation and Job Growth | The Hill
- | Labor Markets Labor Markets
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Virginia’s Portable Benefits Bill: Legalizing Access to Benefits for the Independent Workforce
- | Labor Markets Labor Markets
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
New Study: From Gig to Gone? ABC Tests and the Case of the Missing Workers | Labor Market Matters
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Minimum Wage Laws and Job Search
- | Labor Markets Labor Markets
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Influencers Are Here to Stay — Now It’s Time To Modernize Labor Laws | Reason
- | Labor Markets Labor Markets
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Unpacking Union Power: Trade-offs and Impacts on Jobs | Commonwealth Foundation’s “Disunion: The Government Union Report”
- | Labor Markets Labor Markets
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
America’s Stone Age Ports: How Unions Block Progress | Stossel TV
- | Labor Markets Labor Markets
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary