This study provides an in-depth management and policy analysis of the independent contractor model in the modern U.S. economy. We pay extensive attention to the complex issue of misclassifying employees as contractors, a minor, but salient issue on the nation’s political and regulatory agenda. The report is divided into three sections: • Part I discusses the independent contracting model and relevant issues of organizational management. • Part II analyzes most common types of independent contractors, varied across industries and varied by size and discusses the complex policy and legal environment that independent contractors operate under in the United States. • Part III concludes with a discussion of independent contracting’s place in the current and future U.S. economy amid recently heightened national scrutiny and includes a discussion of best practices for companies who engage with independent contractors