PDF Policies to Address Poverty in America

JUNE 2014

Policies to Address Poverty in America

Edited by Melissa S. Kearney and Benjamin H. Harris

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Hamilton Project wishes to thank members of its Advisory Council for their valuable insights and contributions to this book. In particular, the Project is grateful to Roger C. Altman, Robert Greenstein, Peter Orszag, Meeghan Prunty Edelstein, Robert E. Rubin, and Leslie B. Samuels for helpful discussions and comments on drafts. The contents of this volume and the individual papers do not necessarily represent the views of individual Advisory Council members.

The policy memos contained in this volume have benefitted from the expert feedback provided by participants at The Hamilton Project anti-poverty authors' conference held in March 2014 at the Brookings Institution. We are very grateful to all who participated in that meeting.

The editors acknowledge the outstanding work of The Hamilton Project staff on this volume. Karen Anderson provided expert guidance on all aspects of production, including providing feedback on multiple drafts of each of the individual papers. Elisa J?come and Lucie Parker provided outstanding research assistance and steadfast dedication to the production of this volume. It would not have been possible without them. We also gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Joseph Sullivan, Chanel Dority, Laura Howell, Brian Goggin, Peggah Khorrami, and Allen Sirolly. And finally, we are grateful to David Dreyer, Susan Kellam, Alison Hope, and Fred Hviid.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Hamilton Project seeks to advance America's promise of opportunity, prosperity, and growth.

We believe that today's increasingly competitive global economy demands public policy ideas commensurate with the challenges of the 21st Century. The Project's economic strategy reflects a judgment that long-term prosperity is best achieved by fostering economic growth and broad participation in that growth, by enhancing individual economic security, and by embracing a role for effective government in making needed public investments.

Our strategy calls for combining public investment, a secure social safety net, and fiscal discipline. In that framework, the Project puts forward innovative proposals from leading economic thinkers -- based on credible evidence and experience, not ideology or doctrine -- to introduce new and effective policy options into the national debate.

The Project is named after Alexander Hamilton, the nation's first Treasury Secretary, who laid the foundation for the modern American economy. Hamilton stood for sound fiscal policy, believed that broad-based opportunity for advancement would drive American economic growth, and recognized that "prudent aids and encouragements on the part of government" are necessary to enhance and guide market forces. The guiding principles of the Project remain consistent with these views.

Policies to Address Poverty in America

EDITED BY:

Melissa S. Kearney and Benjamin H. Harris

JUNE 2014

2 Policies to Address Poverty in America

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

5

SECTION 1. PROMOTING EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

PROPOSAL 1. EXPANDING PRESCHOOL ACCESS FOR DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN

19

PROPOSAL 2. ADDRESSING THE PARENTING DIVIDE TO PROMOTE EARLY

CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT FOR DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN

29

PROPOSAL 3. REDUCING UNINTENDED PREGNANCIES FOR LOW-INCOME WOMEN

37

SECTION 2. SUPPORTING DISADVANTAGED YOUTH

PROPOSAL 4. DESIGNING EFFECTIVE MENTORING PROGRAMS FOR DISADVANTAGED YOUTH

47

PROPOSAL 5. EXPANDING SUMMER EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOW-INCOME YOUTH

55

PROPOSAL 6. ADDRESSING THE ACADEMIC BARRIERS TO HIGHER EDUCATION

67

SECTION 3. BUILDING SKILLS

PROPOSAL 7. EXPANDING APPRENTICESHIP OPPORTUNITIES IN THE UNITED STATES

79

PROPOSAL 8. IMPROVING EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS

87

PROPOSAL 9. PROVIDING DISADVANTAGED WORKERS WITH SKILLS TO SUCCEED IN THE LABOR MARKET

97

SECTION 4. IMPROVING SAFETY NET AND WORK SUPPORT

PROPOSAL 10. SUPPORTING LOW-INCOME WORKERS THROUGH REFUNDABLE CHILD-CARE CREDITS

109

PROPOSAL 11. BUILDING ON THE SUCCESS OF THE EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT

119

PROPOSAL 12. ENCOURAGING WORK SHARING TO REDUCE UNEMPLOYMENT

129

PROPOSAL 13. DESIGNING THOUGHTFUL MINIMUM WAGE POLICY AT THE STATE AND LOCAL LEVELS

137

PROPOSAL 14. SMARTER, BETTER, FASTER: THE POTENTIAL FOR PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS

AND RAPID-CYCLE EVALUATION TO IMPROVE PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND OUTCOMES

147

AUTHORS

157

ENDNOTES

163

REFERENCES

171

The Hamilton Project ? Brookings 3

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