Economics of Foster Care

Anthony Bald, Joseph J. Doyle, Max Gross and Brian A. Jacob

Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2022, vol. 36, issue 2, 223-46

Abstract: Foster care provides substitute living arrangements to protect maltreated children. The practice is remarkably common: it is estimated that 5 percent of children in the United States are placed in foster care at some point during childhood. This paper describes the main tradeoffs in child welfare policy and provides background on policy and practice most in need of rigorous evidence. Trends include efforts to prevent foster care on the demand side and to improve foster home recruitment on the supply side. With increasing data availability and a growing interest in evidence-based practices, there are opportunities for economic research to inform policies that protect vulnerable children.

JEL-codes: H75 I38 J13 J18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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DOI: 10.1257/jep.36.2.223

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