Families falling apart

Daniel Patrick Moynihan is the senior United States Senator from New York. He is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy of the Committee on Finance, and of the Subcommittee on Water Resources, Transportation, and Infrastructure of the Committee on Environment and Public Works. He is also a member of the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Senate Arms Control Observer Group. He is the author or editor of 14 books, including Beyond the Melting Pot(with Nathan Glazer) and his most recent work, Came the Revolution: Argument in the Reagan Era.     

Families of nations and public policy

Employing cluster analysis, this article reconsiders a concept formulated by Francis G. Castles that stresses the existence of four families of nations, which markedly differ in respect of public policy-making. For two policy fields - social and economic policy - the hypothesised families of nations can be shown to exist, and they are quite robust and stable over time. Cluster analysis also reveals different paths towards modernity. On the one hand, there are more state-oriented versus more market-oriented models of public policy-making; on the other, there is a cleavage in public policy-making between rich countries located at the centre and somewhat poorer countries located at the periphery.     

Families of nations and public policy

Employing cluster analysis, this article reconsiders a concept formulated by Francis G. Castles that stresses the existence of four families of nations, which markedly differ in respect of public policy‐making. For two policy fields — social and economic policy — the hypothesised families of nations can be shown to exist, and they are quite robust and stable over time. Cluster analysis also reveals different paths towards modernity. On the one hand, there are more state‐oriented versus more market‐oriented models of public policy‐making; on the other, there is a cleavage in public policy‐making between rich countries located at the centre and somewhat poorer countries located at the periphery.     

The FIRRE Act and Housing for Low-Income Families

During the 1980s, federal government real, direct expendituresfor low-income housing increased modestly, budget authorityfor future housing spending fell dramatically, and subsidiesshifted from primarily construction to tenant aid. These changesreflect the delicate balance struck between Reagan's "decentralizedfederalism" as it applied to low-income housing and the muchmore pro-active, centralized positions often advocated by theCongress. Although Congress did not win the budget battle, itdid add new resources to low-income housing in less direct ways.One of those less direct initiatives is the low-income housingprograms contained in FIRREA, which add both money and institutionsto the delivery of housing services for the poor. This articleevaluates these new FIRREA programs in expanding the supplyof housing for the poor. The article concludes that their successwill largely depend on the ability of the low-income housingdelivery system to integrate these new institutions and joinwith them in an active partnership to make efficient use ofthese new housing resources.     

Families,divorce and voter turnout in the US

How large a role does the family play in civic development? This paper examines an important aspect of family influence by tracing the impact of divorce on voter turnout during adolescence. We show that the effect of divorce among white families is large, depressing turnout by nearly 10 percentage points. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, we demonstrate that the impact of divorce varies by racial group and can rival the impact of parents’ educational attainment, which is generally regarded as the most important non-political characteristic of one’s family of origin. We attempt to explain the divorce effect by examining the mediating impacts of parental voter turnout, active social learning, income loss, child–parent interaction, residential mobility, and educational attainment.     

Neighborhood Opportunity and Location Affordability for Low-Income Renter Families

Abstract

We use the Location Affordability Index (LAI) and the newly developed Child Opportunity Index (COI) to assess, for the first time, the tradeoff between neighborhood opportunity and housing/transportation affordability facing low-income renter families in the 100 largest metropolitan areas. In addition to describing the opportunity/affordability relationship, we explore the level of balance between neighborhoods’ relative cost burden and their corresponding opportunity levels to determine whether children of different racial/ethnic groups are more (or less) likely to experience cost-opportunity imbalance. Our multilevel analyses show that housing affordability is largely accounted for by the neighborhood opportunity structure within each metropolitan area. The metropolitan characteristics examined account for only a small proportion of the between-metro variance in the opportunity/affordability gradient for housing, presumably because the neighborhood opportunity structure already reflects metro area factors such as fragmentation and segregation. On the other hand, transportation affordability shows a weaker association with neighborhood opportunity. The COI/LAI association is much weaker for transportation than for housing, and a large part of the variation in the transportation gradient occurs at the metropolitan area level, not the neighborhood level. Sprawl is particularly associated with transportation affordability, with lower sprawl areas having lower transportation-cost burden. We discuss the implications of the empirical findings for defining affordability in housing assistance programs. We recommend that housing policy for low-income renter families adopt an expanded notion of affordability (housing, transportation, and opportunity) and explicitly consider equity (e.g. cost-opportunity imbalance) in the implementation of this expanded affordability definition.     

From Broken Families to the Broken Society

This article traces the development of the Conservative party's 'broken society' narrative, from its roots in William Hague's early invocations of 'social justice' to the evidence-based approach adopted by David Cameron. It considers relevant social trends over the period since 1970; summarises the Conservative party's attitude to family policy in government between 1979 and 1997; and shows how the Conservatives in opposition from 1997 onwards have become more focused on support for the marriage-based family, now a central tenet of Conservative social policy under David Cameron's leadership.     

北京市城乡社会家庭婚姻制度的变迁

本文以大量丰富和翔实的数据与资料,详细地描述和解释了在工业化、城市化进程和计划生育政策的共同推进下,北京市的家庭结构和婚姻制度在近年来的巨大变化,以及与中国其他大城市和经济发达地区相比较后所呈现的特点,同时分析了家庭婚姻制度变化可能或已经给北京的城市生活带来的各种影响.     

Intergenerational Transmission of Party Affiliation Within Political Families

Political Behavior - We investigate the intergenerational transmission of political-party affiliation within families with at least two politicians. We use Swedish registry data that covers all...     

城市贫困家庭就业扶助对策研究——对北京市西城区、宣武区贫困家庭再就业状况的调查分析

本文对北京市西城区、宣武区100户贫困家庭进行了再就业情况调查,在分析贫困家庭社会经济特征的基础上,深刻剖析了贫困家庭再就业的制约因素,提出了强化就业扶助和建立健全促就业长效机制的若干途径和办法。     

An overview of the National Survey of SSI Children and Families and related products

The National Survey of SSI Children and Families (NSCF) is the first nationally representative survey since 1978 of noninstitutionalized children and young adults who currently receive or formerly received Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Over 8,500 interviews were completed between July 2001 and June 2002. The primary objective of the NSCF is to provide data to support research and policy evaluation on the current cross section of children (ages 0 to 17) and young adults (ages 18 to 23) receiving SSI. Following that objective, the survey was designed to answer questions such as those presented below. What are the general characteristics of children and young adults receiving SSI and their families? What are the patterns of access to and utilization of health care among children and young adults receiving SSI? What services are utilized by children and young adults receiving SSI? What are the unmet health care and service needs of children and young adults receiving SSI? What costs are associated with caring for a disabled child? What is the impact on the family of having a disabled child? What is the status of young adults with disabilities as they make the transition to adulthood? How well are they prepared for that transition? In addition, the NSCF questionnaire and sample were designed to be comprehensive enough and large enough to address numerous additional policy issues as they emerge. The NSCF fills a gap in the data available to policy analysts by addressing a wide range of topics that cannot be addressed with SSI administrative data and by providing a large sample in contrast to major national survey databases that cover this target population fairly sparsely. A companion article to this overview describes general characteristics of SSI beneficiary children and their families (see Rupp and others 2005/2006, pages 21-48 of this issue). Other topics being examined include disability-related expenditures for SSI children and young adults and labor force participation of the parents of SSI children. The NSCF data files are accompanied by a detailed User's Manual, which includes a detailed codebook and information about the NSCF sample design, questionnaire design and content, data collection procedures, variable construction, editing, and variance estimation procedures. In order to facilitate research, the Social Security Administration published the NSCF Public-Use File and survey documentation on its Web site. These products are available at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityresearch/nscf.htm. The NSCF is an outstanding tool for conducting research and policy analysis regarding children and young adults receiving SSI.     

Deception and Fear in Politically Oppressive Contexts: Its Trickle-Down Effect on Families

The mystified reality, restricted options, and inherent risks of living in countries under a repressive political regime trigger survival tactics that reduce individual's reliance on social support, as well as semantic and cognitive restrictions and alternative codes, and silences that translate into symptoms. While this is the case for the average citizen, it is even more pronounced in individuals and families directly touched by the repressive apparatus. These processes are discussed and two clinical examples are provided to illustrate them.     

Leaving Homelessness Behind: Housing Decisions Among Families Exiting Shelter

Because homelessness assistance programs are designed to help families, it is important for policymakers and practitioners to understand how families experiencing homelessness make housing decisions, particularly when they decide not to use available services. This study explores those decisions using in-depth qualitative interviews with 80 families recruited in shelters across four sites approximately six months after they were assigned to one of four conditions (permanent housing subsidies, project-based transitional housing, community-based rapid re-housing, or usual care). Familiar neighborhoods near children's schools, transportation, family and friends, and stability were important to families across conditions. Program restrictions on eligibility constrained family choices. Subsidized housing was the most desired intervention, and families leased up at higher rates than in other studies of poor families. Respondents were least comfortable in and most likely to leave transitional housing. Uncertainty associated with community-based rapid re-housing generated considerable anxiety. Across interventions, many families had to make unhappy compromises, often leading to further moves. Policy recommendations are offered.     

Predictors of Homelessness Among Families and Single Adults After Exit From Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Programs: Evidence From the Department of Veterans Affairs Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program

This article assesses the extent and predictors of homelessness among veterans (both veterans in families with children and single adults veterans) exiting the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program, which is a nationwide homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing program geared primarily toward those experiencing crisis homelessness. Among rapid re-housing participants, 16% and 26% of single adult veterans experienced an episode of homelessness at 1 and 2 years post-SSVF exit; the comparable figures at those follow-up times for veterans in families were 9.4% and 15.5%, respectively. Relatively fewer single adult veterans and veterans in families receiving homelessness prevention services experienced an episode of homelessness at 1 and 2 years post-SSVF exit. veteran-level characteristics, including age, gender, prior history of homelessness, and recent engagement with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care, were generally more salient predictors of homelessness following SSVF exit than variables measuring SSVF program factors or community-level housing market conditions.     

Leveraging Administrative Data to Better Serve Children and Families

The challenge of complex social issues drives the need for data systems that can connect information across multiple service delivery systems. Integrated data systems provide significant value for needs assessment, program planning, policy decision making, and collective impact evaluation across a range of social issues. This case study describes a mature county‐based integrated data system. The case study has three aims: (1) to highlight the value of integrated data systems to research, (2) to outline common challenges that such initiatives face, and (3) to present several ongoing considerations for the field that could inform policy recommendations to facilitate the use of integrated data. The authors present examples from the experience of developing this integrated data system, including involvement in the design and evaluation of the first county‐level social impact bond. The case study highlights the benefits and limitations of integrated data use in research and the potential to advance evidence‐based social decision making.     

Government Assistance Protects Low‐Income Families from Eviction

A lack of affordable housing is a pressing issue for many low‐income American families and can lead to eviction from their homes. Housing assistance programs to address this problem include public housing and other assistance, including vouchers, through which a government agency offsets the cost of private market housing. This paper assesses whether the receipt of either category of assistance reduces the probability that a family will be evicted from their home in the subsequent six years. Because no randomized trial has assessed these effects, we use observational data and formalize the conditions under which a causal interpretation is warranted. Families living in public housing experience less eviction conditional on pre‐treatment variables. We argue that this evidence points toward a causal conclusion that assistance, particularly public housing, protects families from eviction.