Economics of Means-Tested Transfer Programs in the United States, Volume I (Volume 1) (National Bureau of Economic Research Conference Report)

Few government programs in the United States are as controversial as those designed to help the poor. From tax credits to medical assistance, the size and structure of the American safety net is an issue of constant debate. These two volumes update the earlier __Means-Tested Transfer Programs in the United States__ with a discussion of the many changes in means-tested government programs and the results of new research over the past decade. While some programs that experienced falling outlays in the years prior to the previous volume have remained at low levels of expenditure, many others have grown, including Medicaid, the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and subsidized housing programs. For each program, the contributors describe its origins and goals, summarize its history and current rules, and discuss recipients’ characteristics and the types of benefits they receive. This is an invaluable reference for researchers and policy makers that features detailed analyses of many of the most important transfer programs in the United States. This volume collects a series of essays by prominent economists on each of the major means-tested, or welfare, programs in the United States. Each essay covers the institutional history of a program, the policy issues surrounding it, its rules and regulations, its history of expenditure and caseloads, and, most importantly, a summary of the research that economists have conducted on the program and the findings from that research. The volume is an update of a popular first volume in 2003 which became a reference Handbook on the shelf of all economists and policy-makers who work on, or who are interested in, transfer programs in the United States. The new volume focuses primarily on the changes in programs which have occurred since 2003 and the results of new research since that date. The volume will be a timely contribution to on-going policy discussions in Washington and elsewhere, bringing the available evidence to bear on the many issues surrounding those programs. The specific transfer programs covered in the volume are the Medicaid program, the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Supplemental Security Income Program, subsidized housing programs, and the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (Food Stamps). In addition, two chapters in the volume cover not traditional transfer programs but rather programs which are intended to increase the human capital of adults and children "Few government programs in the United States are as controversial as those designed to help the poor. From tax credits to medical assistance, the size and structure of the American safety net is an issue of constant debate. These two volumes update the earlier Means-Tested Transfer Programs in the United States with a discussion of the many changes in means-tested government programs and the results of new research over the past decade. While some programs that experienced falling outlays in the years prior to the previous volume have remained at low levels of expenditure, many others have grown, including Medicaid, the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and subsidized housing programs. For each program, the contributors describe its origins and goals, summarize its history and current rules, and discuss recipients' characteristics and the types of benefits they receive. This is an invaluable reference for researchers and policy makers that features detailed analyses of many of the most important transfer programs in the United States."--Amazon.com Few Programs In The United States Are As Controversial As Those That Constitute The Country S Safety Net, Which In The Past Few Decades Have Been Broadly Transformed And Substantially Increased In Size And Scope. Many Of These Programs Were Discussed In The Popular Nber Book, Means-tested Transfer Programs In The United States, Published In 2003. This New Book Sheds Light On Changes In Programs And The Results Of New Research Since The First Volume. Each Volume Of Economics Of Means-tested Transfer Programs In The United States Explores Four Programs In Particular. This First Volume Looks Into The More Prominent Transfer Programs, Which Include Medicaid, The Earned-income Tax Credit, Food And Nutrition, And Temporary Assistance For Needy Families. Both Volumes Of Means-tested Transfer Programs In The United States Will Constitute A Unique, Single-source Reference Containing Analysis Of The Origins, Successes, Failures, And Developments In The Most Important Recent Means-tested Transfer Programs In The United States.