Many welfare programs give greater benefits to unmarried individuals than to a married couple of otherwise identical income. The resulting marriage penalty discourages marriage and rewards single parenthood. Combined marriage penalties across federal and state welfare programs can reach tens of thousands of dollars per year for a given family. One…

In the United States, low marriage rates and high divorce rates among the poor have led policymakers to target this group for skills- and values-based interventions. The current research evaluated the assumptions underlying these interventions; specifically, the authors examined whether low-income respondents held less traditional values toward…

This discussion places the ten years of the war on poverty in perspective and, on the basis of both the experiment in policy intervention and some recent trends, speculates on the nature and course of social policy over the next decade. The basis of and motivations for the war on poverty are reviewed as the primary concern of the first part of…

In order to study the persistence of poverty across generations with a view to developing or monitoring cross-generational poverty-reduction policies, social indicators to track dependency and deprivation of children are needed. Available data on the dependency and deprivation of children primarily describe the following characteristics of the…

In the 1980s California poverty rates increased dramatically. Poverty rates were substantially higher in rural areas and for Hispanics, Asians, single-parent families, and children. The percentage of the labor force in poverty increased, and poverty rates were exceptionally high for the unemployed and for "discouraged workers." The…

Possible causes for the rapid increase in the poverty rate from 1980 to 1982 were investigated, with two factors in particular being considered: the impact of the welfare program provisions of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 (OBRA), and the recessionary economy experienced during that year. The basic study design used a computer…

This workshop collection contains a paper which analyzes the actual and potential income and wealth sources of rural inhabitants, an appendix which discusses the effectiveness of current transfer payment programs in reaching the rural poor, and a reviewer's comments. The paper by Emery Castle and Mark Goldstein describes incomes of rural residents…

Inner-city business development is often proposed as a solution to inner-city poverty. However, research evidence suggests that creating new jobs in the inner city is unlikely by itself to increase significantly the employment or earnings of the inner-city poor. Public subsidies for inner-city business development may be justified by greater…

Considers the role of social welfare and public assistance policies in the promotion of African American family life. Examines race, sex, and age demographics as predictors of poverty in the United States. Reviews the history of social programming and public family assistance, including intervention assumptions and demographic characteristics that…

A poverty line helps focus the attention of policymakers on the living conditions of the poor and may inform policy decisions about targeting development or poverty programs. Poverty lines serve two roles. One is to determine the minimum living standard before a person is not considered "poor." The other is to make interpersonal comparisons, such…

Historical data, projections of selected populations, particularly poor and Hispanic groups, and educational issues arising from the trends are examined as they relate to educational finance in the future. New educational financing options are suggested to augment current government-sponsored student aid to respond better to emerging societal…

Presents the view that genuine educational reform is impossible in today's political, social, and economic climate. Today's policymakers are not truly antipoverty and do not truly care about the plight of the less fortunate. The current preoccupation with economic progress means that reform has come to mean inattention. (SLD)

This study was requested (by Representatives Charles B. Rangel and Harold Ford) in August 1984, to explore the factors which influence the poverty rate among children. Researchers were asked to examine demographic trends, economic factors, government policies, and other phenomena which could help explain why, despite increased government…

In 1970, the gross national product for the United States was over $974 billion; for Mexico, it was $33 billion. The U.S. per capita national income was approximately $4,300, while Mexico's was slightly above $500. Living as neighbors with the reality of these vast differences has led to the implementation of various policy measures by both…

Two common perspectives regarding lower-class behavior are examined. The authors find little empirical support either for the "culture of poverty" position, with its singular emphasis on retained and transmitted cultural modes, or for the "blocked opportunity" or "situational" hypothesis. Recent evidence is adduced which shows a 3rd perspective,…