The Value of Adoption

Mary Hansen ()
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Mary Hansen: Department of Economics, American University

No 2006-15, Working Papers from American University, Department of Economics

Abstract: The human services cost of adoption is about half the cost of long-term foster care for children whose birth parents’ rights have been terminated. Because adoption is an effective intervention for improving a variety of outcomes for those exposed to adverse childhood experiences, the total savings to government in areas such as special education and criminal justice is of the same magnitude as the child welfare savings. The private benefit to adopted children in terms of additional income earned over their working lives is similarly large. In all, a dollar spent on the adoption of a child from foster care yields about three dollars in benefits.

Keywords: adoption; adoption policy; cost-benefit analysis; foster care; net social benefits (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D61 J13 J18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006-12
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