RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Scott Winship, February 09, 2012, Senate Budget Committee
Testifying before the Senate Budget Committee, Scott Winship discusses inequality, economic mobility and opportunity in America. Winship clarifies statistics regarding the state of the poor and middle class and notes that policies to promote opportunity and upward mobility can take many forms, including investments in education, reforms to school governance, safety net programs, work, marriage, and savings.
Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Scott Winship, February 07, 2012, The New Republic
Scott Winship writes that the idea that up to 95 percent of Americans are struggling may be popular, but is incorrect. Winship argues that the attention paid to the overstated problems of the middle class comes at the expense of the more critical challenges facing the poor. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Scott Winship, January 17, 2012, National Review Online
As the idea that America has less economic mobility than in the past becomes a major campaign theme for President Obama, Scott Winship challenges the Obama administration's claims and notes that the president may be ultimately harming the economic recovery by misstating the facts. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Isabel V. Sawhill, January 09, 2012, The New York Times
Isabel Sawhill discusses mobility and opportunity in America, claiming that upward mobility is particularly constrained for those born into lower classes. Sawhill argues that increased investment in three areas — family planning, early education and higher education — could increase opportunity, economic growth and competitiveness. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Scott Winship, Winter 2012, National Affairs
Scott Winship challenges the view that most Americans are exposed to overwhelming economic risk, arguing not only that this view is not supported by data, but that it damages the country’s economic prospects by sapping the confidence of consumers, business, and investors. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Scott Winship, January 02, 2012, National Review
Scott Winship writes that President Obama's claim that upward mobility is growing more difficult in the United States is overstated. While upward mobility is more limited in the United States than in other countries, Winship says that there is little credible evidence that it has fallen over time. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
William H. Frey, Alan Berube, Audrey Singer and Jill Wilson, December 20, 2011, TIME.com
Data from the Census Bureau released in 2011 show the huge demographic changes taking shape across the United States. In this slideshow, experts from the Metropolitan Policy Program look back at analyses from the past year, highlighting decreases in domestic mobility and economic opportunity, along with significant growth in both the aging and ethnic minority populations. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Julia B. Isaacs, December 20, 2011, The Brookings Institution, First Focus
Julia Isaacs tracks the economic well-being of children during the recession with three state-by-state indicators: children with an unemployed parent, individuals receiving nutrition assistance benefits, and child poverty. Isaacs finds that the economy may have begun its slow recovery, but conditions are not yet improving for children in the most vulnerable families. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Julia B. Isaacs, December 20, 2011, The Brookings Institution
Julia Isaacs writes that the well-being of children has generally deteriorated between 2010 and 2011, as families continue to be negatively impacted by the effects of the recession. Isaacs explains the factors behind this and notes that 2012 will likely not be better for the children of vulnerable families. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Julia B. Isaacs and Katherine Magnuson, December 14, 2011, The Brookings Institution
Julia Isaacs and Katherine Magnuson use data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study- Birth (ECLS-B) Cohort to estimate associations between two important indicators of family socioeconomic status—family income and maternal education—and children’s school readiness measured by academic skills, behavior and physical health at school entry. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Isabel V. Sawhill, December 13, 2011, The Brookings Institution
Isabelle Sawhill examines social mobility in America, discussing barriers that the poor must overcome to achieve middle-class status. Sawhill argues that America's growing inequality is a threat to social mobility and that there is a role for government in helping individuals achieve the American Dream. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Elisabeth Jacobs, December 07, 2011, The Brookings Institution
On December 7, Elisabeth Jacobs answered your questions on the Occupy Wall Street movement and its potential to impact Washington in a live web chat moderated by POLITICO. Read More
PAST EVENT
Monday, December 05, 2011
10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Washington, DC
More than 23 million children, or 1 out of every 3, live apart from their biological fathers; males are now less likely than females to graduate from high school and to enter and graduate from college; there is long-term decline in the percentage of adult males who have jobs; and only about 60 percent of young minority males have a job. On December 5, the Center on Children and Families examined the status and prospects of young disadvantaged males and highlighted intervention programs that have had significant positive impacts on their education and employment. The evidence shows that, with proper funding and implementation, a surprising number of programs could help reduce the problems that afflict disadvantaged young males. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Ron Haskins, November 28, 2011, Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity
Ron Haskins discusses how the super committee’s failure to release a proposal may affect low-income families, outlining what impact the triggered cuts will have and examining upcoming budgetary decisions for Congress and President Obama. Read More
PAST EVENT
Monday, November 07, 2011
8:30 AM to 12:15 PM
Washington, DC
On November 7, the Center on Children and Families at the Brookings Institution and the Census Bureau sponsored a private half-day seminar to examine the Bureau’s work on the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM). The Census Bureau released its first report on the SPM that it has been developing for several years. The Bureau has no plans to change the official poverty measure which will remain the measure used to determine eligibility and the distribution of grant dollars for federal grant programs. Read More