SPOTLIGHT: Economic Mobility

Reuters/Jim Young - Child waves an American flag in Virginia
Isabel V. Sawhill and Ron Haskins, November 01, 2009
Americans have always believed that their country is unique in providing the opportunity to get ahead. Ron Haskins and Isabel Sawhill deconstruct five myths about economic mobility in the United States, saying that we need better policies to help create a true opportunity society.
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Economic Mobility, Children & Families, U.S. Poverty, U.S. Economy
SPOTLIGHT: Children & Families

REUTERS/Mike Blake - Children swinging
Ron Haskins, Christina Paxson and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn , October 01, 2009
In this policy brief, a companion to the volume of The Future of Children devoted to child maltreatment prevention, the authors examine evaluations of home-visiting programs designed to improve parenting and reduce child maltreatment and how policy makers are using social science evidence to identify and support successful programs.
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Children & Families, Courts, U.S. Poverty, Public Health
SPOTLIGHT: U.S. Census

Reuters/Lucy Nicholson - A homeless man in Los Angeles.
Emily Monea and Isabel V. Sawhill, September 10, 2009
Emily Monea and Isabel Sawhill argue that in light of the projected increases in U.S. poverty levels, more attention should be paid to the adequacy of the safety net plus health care, education, job training and other means of insuring that more Americans are able to benefit from the opportunities that a growing economy will eventually provide.
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U.S. Census, U.S. Economy, U.S. Poverty
SPOTLIGHT: Children & Families

Reuters/Chip East - Graduating seniors cheer at commencement
Ron Haskins, July 31, 2009
Ron Haskins discusses personal responsibility and the three areas of personal decision-making in which the nation’s youth and young adults most need to learn and practice personal responsibility: education, sexual behavior and marriage, and work.
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Children & Families, Social Issues, Quality-of-Life Issues, Marriage and Family Formation
SPOTLIGHT: Children & Families

istockphoto - Toddlers playing
Julia B. Isaacs, Paul Johnson, Adam Kent, Jennifer Macomber and Tracy Vericker, May 05, 2009
Despite extensive research documenting the benefits of investing in young children, infants and toddlers are underrepresented in the federal budget, researchers from the Brookings and the Urban Institute found. The nation’s 12.5 million children under age 3 are 4.2 percent of the population, but they received just 2.1 percent—$44.1 billion—of federal domestic spending in 2007. Domestic outlays, which exclude defense, homeland security, and international affairs, totaled $2.1 trillion.
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Children & Families, Social Issues, Education, Quality-of-Life Issues, Federal Budget