Children and the US Social Safety Net: Balancing Disincentives for Adults and Benefits for Children

Anna Aizer, Hilary W. Hoynes and Adriana Lleras-Muney

No 29754, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Economic research on the safety net has evolved significantly over time, moving away from a near exclusive focus on the negative incentive effects of means-tested assistance on employment, earnings, marriage and fertility to include examination of the potential positive benefits of such programs to children. Initially, this research on benefits to children focused on short run impacts, but as we accumulated knowledge about skill production and better data became available, the research evolved further to include important long run economic outcomes such as employment, earnings and mortality. Once the positive long-run benefits to children are considered, many safety net programs are cost-effective. However, the current government practice of limiting the time horizon for cost-benefit calculations of major policy initiatives reduces the influence of the most current economic research on the long run benefits. We conclude with a discussion of why the rate of child poverty in the US is still higher than most OECD countries and how research on children and the safety net can better inform policy-making going forward.

JEL-codes: I3 I32 I38 J12 J13 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ban, nep-dem and nep-lma
Note: CH LS PE
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (30)

Published as Anna Aizer & Hilary Hoynes & Adriana Lleras-Muney, 2022. "Children and the US Social Safety Net: Balancing Disincentives for Adults and Benefits for Children," Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol 36(2), pages 149-174.

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