Practical Perspectives on ‘A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty’
With Katharine B. Stevens
EVENT
July 17, 2019
Event Description
Research suggests that childhood poverty impedes children’s healthy growth and success in adulthood. In 2015, Congress asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a study of child poverty in the US and identify evidence-based policies to reduce it. The recently released report, “A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty,” describes two packages of federal policies that would cut US child poverty by half within a decade.
But what would it take to turn report proposals into congressional authorization for new federal spending? Do key stakeholders agree that reducing child poverty is a priority for federal policy? And if authorized, how much would new federal spending really help poor children?
Join AEI for a presentation on the report, followed by a panel discussion on the realistic prospects for the report’s proposals to improve children’s lives.
Event Summary
On Wednesday, experts gathered to discuss the recently released National Academies report “A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty” and the realistic prospects for several federal “policy packages” the report highlighted.
First, report committee member Robert Moffitt summarized the report’s key findings. Most federal antipoverty programs the committee studied did not significantly affect child poverty rates, but several program combinations did reduce child poverty.
In the following discussion, panelists agreed any federal programs must increase both work and marriage to reduce child poverty. AEI’s Matt Weidinger commented that means-tested benefits alone cannot solve the problem. James Dimas of the Illinois Department of Human Services agreed, emphasizing that work and self-sufficiency are crucial to human dignity. He added that state-level implementation of federal programs is often complex and difficult to carry out effectively, especially when requiring high levels of human intervention.
Some panelists did not view the more costly policy packages as politically feasible. However, the Brookings Institution’s Ron Haskins pointed out that one package reduced child poverty rates by almost 20 percent while increasing employment among low-income adults by one million, for a much lower cost of $8.7 billion annually. Committee members also emphasized that more rigorous evaluation of federal antipoverty programs — particularly work programs — is urgently needed.
AGENDA
3:45 PM
Registration
4:00 PM
Welcome and introduction:
Katharine B. Stevens, AEI
4:05 PM
Presentation:
Robert Moffitt, Johns Hopkins University
4:30 PM
Panel discussion
Panelists:
James Dimas, Illinois Department of Human Services
Ron Haskins, Brookings Institution
Robert Moffitt, Johns Hopkins University
Matt Weidinger, AEI
Moderator:
Katharine B. Stevens, AEI
5:00 PM
Q&A
5:15 PM
Adjournment
See Also
Report ~ November 2, 2015
Blog ~ November 6, 2017
Report ~ April 8, 2021