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• A Cautionary Tale about the Use of Administrative Data: Evidence from Age of Marriage Laws

  Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

  Rebecca Blank, Kerwin Charles and James Sallee demonstrate that administrative data may be inferior to survey data under particular circumstances by examining the effect of state laws governing the minimum age of marriage in the United States.

• Poverty and Economic Stimulus

  Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

  
  Rebecca M. Blank And Mark H. Greenberg agree that while in the short run, economic need is rising rapidly and we need to address the short-run problems as well as think about the long-term reforms, and that the parts of the recovery plan that are directed to low-income and unemployed families are good economics and good social policy. They say that it would only be the beginning of any serious effort to deal with poverty in America.

• Michelle Obama’s Balancing Act

  Fri, 30 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

  Michelle Obama stepped into the policy spotlight as first lady on Thursday at President Barack Obama’s signing of the equal-pay bill. How might Mrs. Obama bring her voice to issues of work-life balance? Rebecca Blank comments on what issues Mrs. Obama should elevate.

• Fighting Poverty in the Land of Opportunity

  Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

  
  With unemployment rising, more families feel squeezed this holiday season than ever. Rebecca Blank urges the new president to consider a plan to support low-wage workers, ensure an effective safety net and create opportunities in high-poverty neighborhoods that might guarantee American families more on their tables in the seasons ahead.

• Improve the Poverty Measure

  Mon, 08 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

  
  Rebecca Blank and Mark Greenberg recommend the adoption of a new poverty measure, along the lines recommended by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), in order to provide a more accurate measure of economic need in the United States.

• Memo to the President: Decrease Poverty and Increase Opportunity

  Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

  
  A major economic slowdown adds to the problems of lower-income Americans, who have not shared in the economic growth of the last decade. Greater investments in economic mobility and opportunity are needed. Rebecca Blank offers policy solutions and priorities for the president-elect to make greater investments in economic mobility and opportunity.

• How Can We Reduce the Rising Number of American Families Living in Poverty?

  Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

  In this testimony, Rebecca Blank argues for the need to modernize our poverty statistics so that we may have a better understanding of who is poor and how these numbers are changing over time. She discusses anti-poverty strategies for the next decade.

• Wall Street Ethics

  Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

  The financial crisis: more failures, fears, realignment, layoffs on Wall Street, with consequences around the world. Is anyone to blame? PBS's Religion and Ethics Newsweekly host Bob Abernethy and Rebecca Blank explore the ethical issues underlying the financial meltdown.

• How We Measure Poverty

  Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

  
  The U.S. government's method of measuring poverty, established in 1964, is badly outdated and leads to an inaccurate picture of who is, and is not, poor in America. If we want to debate new policies to help the poor, Rebecca Blank argues that we first need a poverty measure that shows us who they really are.

• Why the United States Needs an Improved Measure of Poverty

  Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

  Rebecca Blank testified before the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support of the House Committee on Ways and Means on the need for an improved measure of poverty in the United States. She stated that our current poverty line is based on data more than 50 years old and our poverty count does not measure the actual resources that many families have available to them.
  
  
  

• How to Improve Poverty Measurement in the United States

  Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

  In this paper, Rebecca Blank discusses the reasons why the current official U.S. poverty measure is outdated and nonresponsive to many anti-poverty initiatives. The paper ends with four recommended steps that would allow the U.S. to improve its measurement of poverty and economic need.

• Helping Disconnected Single Mothers

  Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

  
  There are a growing number of low-income single mothers who are long-term welfare recipients or are without steady employment. They tend to face more barriers to stable employment, with less education, younger children, higher rates of mental and physical health problems and substance abuse, and a history of domestic violence. In this brief, Rebecca Blank and Brian Kovak propose a new program to link these mothers to medical and economic support and give them greater assistance in securing employment.

• Pay-Day Lenders, Check Cashing Outlets and Other Alternative Financial Services

  Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

  A substantial number of low-income individuals make use of services within the alternative financial sector, particularly pay-day lenders and check cashing outlets. The high cost of these services has led many observers to seek policies that would reduce the use of informal financial services among lower income households. In this paper, Rebecca Blank reviews the reasons why individuals utilize AFS outlets and discusses the policy options that could affect these decisions.

• The Unemployment Rate and the Job Market

  Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

  
  The March unemployment rate jumped to 5.1 percent, fueling concerns about a flagging economy. Rebecca Blank, noting the unusually high rates of long-term unemployment, recommends extending benefits to assist these workers who are clearly having difficulty finding jobs.

• What the Unemployment Rate Signals on the Economy

  Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

  
  Rebecca Blank points out some of the troubling signs related to unemployment rates.  The author discusses extending unemployment insurance benefits to address long-term unemployment and explains how changing demographics make the current numbers hard to compare to previous recessions.

• If the Economy’s So Bad, Why Is the Unemployment Rate So Low?

  Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

  
  Testifying before the Joint Economic Committee, Rebecca Blank argued that the low unemployment rate is misleading when compared to earlier years because the composition of those in the workforce is changing. In fact, she said, the very high rates of long-term unemployment suggest that it might be time to extend Unemployment Insurance benefits beyond the standard 25 weeks.