1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910784899803321

Titolo

Means-tested transfer programs in the United States [[electronic resource] /] / edited by Robert A. Moffitt

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Chicago, : University of Chicago Press, 2003

ISBN

1-281-12590-3

9786611125905

0-226-53357-3

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (655 p.)

Collana

A National Bureau of Economic Research conference report

Altri autori (Persone)

MoffittRobert

Disciplina

362.5/82

Soggetti

Income maintenance programs - United States

Public welfare - United States

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Papers presented at a conference sponsored by the National Bureau of Economic Research and held in Cambridge, Mass. on May 11-12, 2000.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. Medicaid -- 2. The Supplemental Security Income Program -- 3. The Earned Income Tax Credit -- 4. U.S. Food and Nutrition Programs -- 5. The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program -- 6. Housing Programs for Low-Income Households -- 7. Child Care Subsidy Programs -- 9. Child Support: Interactions between Private and Public Transfers -- Contributors -- Author Index -- Subject Index

Sommario/riassunto

Few United States government programs are as controversial as those designed to aid the poor. From tax credits to medical assistance, aid to needy families is surrounded by debate-on what benefits should be offered, what forms they should take, and how they should be administered. The past few decades, in fact, have seen this debate lead to broad transformations of aid programs themselves, with Aid to Families with Dependent Children replaced by Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, the Earned Income Tax Credit growing from a minor program to one of the most important for low-income families, and Medicaid greatly expanding its eligibility. This volume provides a remarkable overview of how such programs actually work, offering an impressive wealth of information on the nation's nine largest "means-tested" programs-that is, those in which some test of income forms the



basis for participation. For each program, contributors describe origins and goals, summarize policy histories and current rules, and discuss the recipient's characteristics as well as the different types of benefits they receive. Each chapter then provides an overview of scholarly research on each program, bringing together the results of the field's most rigorous statistical examinations. The result is a fascinating portrayal of the evolution and current state of means-tested programs, one that charts a number of shifts in emphasis-the decline of cash assistance, for instance, and the increasing emphasis on work. This exemplary portrait of the nation's safety net will be an invaluable reference for anyone interested in American social policy.