Brookings: Experts - Ron Haskins

Encouraging Marriage Helps Everyone

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Can marriage decrease poverty? Higher marriage rates among the poor would benefit poor adults themselves, their children and the nation, says Ron Haskins. He argues that non-coercive programs that are delivered by community-based agencies can be effective. By helping couples who want to marry, the payoff to them, their children and society is potentially enormous.

Five Myths About Our Land of Opportunity

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Americans have always believed that their country is unique in providing the opportunity to get ahead. Ron Haskins and Isabel Sawhill deconstruct five myths about economic mobility in the United States, saying that we need better policies to help create a true opportunity society.

The Scouting Report Web Chat: Expanding Opportunity in America

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Recent decades have seen sharply rising incomes for the rich, modest progress for the middle class, and little or no progress for the poor. How can more people achieve the American Dream? To address the question, Ron Haskins and Politico senior editor Fred Barbash conducted a live web chat about expanding economic opportunity in America.

Is the American Dream a Myth?

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:24:00 GMT

Despite its status as one of the world’s leading economies, the United States is faced with high poverty rates and less economic opportunity than many other affluent countries. Senior Fellows Isabel Sawhill and Ron Haskins, argue that it will take a combination of personal responsibility along with smarter and better-targeted government policies to make the American Dream a reality for children and families now stuck at the bottom.

California’s Work-to-Welfare Policy

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Ron Haskins argues that California's recent decision to allow a substantial number of its welfare recipients to avoid work requirements will reverse nearly a decade and a half of hard-won progress against parental idleness and child poverty.

Can Parent Training Reduce Abuse, Enhance Development, and Save Money?

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This policy brief, a companion to the volume of The Future of Children devoted to child maltreatment prevention, the authors examine evaluations of home-visiting programs designed to improve parenting and reduce child maltreatment and how policy makers are using social science evidence to identify and support successful programs.

Social Science Rising: A Tale of Evidence Shaping Policy

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In this policy brief, a companion to the volume of The Future of Children devoted to child maltreatment prevention, the authors examine evaluations of home-visiting programs designed to improve parenting and reduce child maltreatment and how policy makers are using social science evidence to identify and support successful programs.

The Threat to Work

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Ron Haskins states that one of the few government strategies that has proven successful in reducing poverty is encouraging or demanding that adults on welfare work, even at low wage jobs, and then subsidizing their earnings but with employment, income, and earnings stagnant or in decline for nearly a decade now, it is time to worry.

The Sequence of Personal Responsibility

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Ron Haskins discusses personal responsibility and the three areas of personal decision-making in which the nation’s youth and young adults most need to learn and practice personal responsibility: education, sexual behavior and marriage, and work.

The Potential Role of Entitlement or Budget Commissions in Addressing Long-term Budget Problems

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The United States faces a looming fiscal imbalance brought on by an aging population and rising health care costs. Yet, the current political environment discourages our leadership from making the tough choices required to fix our fiscal house. In this paper, a diverse group of budget experts reviews some of the recent history of appointed commissions, and discusses their potential role in long-term federal budgeting policy.

A New Goal for America’s High Schools: College Preparation for All

Thu, 14 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In this policy brief, a companion to the volume of The Future of Children devoted to high school reforms, Ron Haskins and James Kemple examine the steps high schools should take to help low-income students prepare for and succeed in college. Specifically, they argue, high schools should boost students’ subject matter knowledge and study skills and counsel students on how to select colleges and obtain financial aid.

Promoting Economic Mobility by Increasing Postsecondary Education

Tue, 12 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Many low-income students miss out on college because they don’t know how much it actually costs or how to get access to billions of dollars in financial aid, says Ron Haskins. That’s why improving the equality of educational opportunity—a traditional American value—is one key to promoting economic mobility for disadvantaged students.

President Obama's Budget and U.S. Fiscal Solvency

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:51:28 GMT

Ron Haskins, co-director of Brookings’s Center on Children and Families, says President Obama’s budget is unsustainable and adds that it will likely fail to help restore fiscal solvency to the nation’s economy. Haskins says unless lawmakers are willing to compromise on key issues the fiscal situation will worsen.

New Approaches to Addressing Long-Term Fiscal Responsibility

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A bipartisan group of budget experts from 7 different organizations view President Obama’s Fiscal Responsibility summit as a good first step to addressing the enormous long-term fiscal problem facing the United States, but urge him to lead a major public engagement effort – beyond a one-day summit – to inform Americans of the scale and nature of the long-term fiscal crisis, explain the consequences of inaction and discuss the options for solving the problem. The effort should include the creation of an independent and truly bipartisan commission or other mechanism capable of bringing about decisive action that has broad public support.

A Budget We Can Believe In

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A diverse group of experts urged President Obama, in his first budget submission, to strike a judicious balance between America’s short-term and long-term economic needs. While the need to boost spending to stimulate the economy is important, they say these short-term steps must not make it harder to achieve our long-term goals. They note that fundamental reforms of major entitlement programs and the tax system are needed to bring spending and revenues into better balance over the longer-term.

Preschool Programs: What Are We Getting? What Should We Expect?

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Ron Haskins gave the keynote speech “Intersection of Early Childhood Education, Poverty and Policy” and discussed cost effective early childhood policies that improve outcomes for children at the Early Childhood Public Engagement Summit.

Keeping Adolescents Out of Prison

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Ron Haskins and Laurence Steinberg, in this companion to the new edition of The Future of Children devoted to juvenile justice, examine the problem of youth confinement in correctional facilities, including adult jails and prisons. They pay special attention to why harsh punishment of adolescents is not only often unjust but also counterproductive and make recommendations for more appropriate and cost-effective responses to youth crime.

Making Work Pay – Again

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Ron Haskins offers ways policymakers could create an entitlement to housing assistance that would more fairly distribute housing benefits and convert housing into a more effective element in the nation’s work support system. The goal of reform would be to get the most out of the resources now devoted to housing by providing at least some benefit to all eligible families that want a housing subsidy.

A Plan for Reducing Poverty

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

A host of demographic and economic trends in the United States are making it difficult for the nation to make progress against poverty and income inequality. However, Ron Haskins argues, government policies that raise work levels and provide public benefits to supplement earnings have proven to be effective in fighting poverty among female-headed families. But further progress against poverty and economic inequality seems unlikely unless more poor adults work, reduce the number of births outside marriage, and marry at higher rates.

Economic Stimulus Act: Hard to Kill Two Birds with One Stone

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The bipartisan economic stimulus package was a straightforward application of Keynesian fiscal policy: Spend your way out of recession. However, some might wonder if it’s possible to design a stimulus package that could also reduce inequality. In this paper, Ron Haskins explains why targeted stimulus may reduce poverty in the short run but cannot substitute for investments that will reduce inequality in the long run.

Using the Media to Promote Adolescent Well-Being

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Parents are worried that teens are drowning in messages about sex, smoking, drinking, consumer goods and a host of other behaviors and products that threaten their well-being. This brief advocates using creative media to provide youth with positive messages that counteract the negative damaging messages to which they are exposed.

Budget Chaos: What, Me Worry?

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As the baby boomers begin to retire this year, the burden of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will grow relentlessly. With more people in the programs and more expensive benefits, the nation will quickly encounter a budget disaster. Bill Frenzel and Ron Haskins say that dramatic reforms are needed to avoid budget chaos for future generations.

Taking Back our Fiscal Future

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Unsustainable deficits in the federal budget threaten the health and vigor of the American economy. When the next president and Congress take office in January 2009, they will face one crucial question that has been almost absent from the current election campaign: how to close the enormous gap between projected federal spending and revenues.

Getting Ahead or Losing Ground: Economic Mobility in America

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Is America still the land of opportunity and mobility? How much opportunity to get ahead actually exists in America? Brookings scholars Julia Isaacs, Isabel Sawhill and Ron Haskins provide new evidence and summarize research on both the extent of intergenerational mobility in the United States and the factors that influence it.

Investing in Early Education: Paths to Improving Children's Success

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

While the nation has been struggling to eliminate the education gap, Ron Haskins testifies on ways to improve all preschool education received by poor children.

Attacking Poverty and Inequality

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 10:14:50 GMT

In the late 1990s, Congress and President Clinton collaborated on bi-partisan legislation that led to a substantial decline in child poverty in the United States – especially in African-American communities. Ron Haskins explains that the next president should reinvigorate the fight against poverty through increasing benefits while requiring more personal responsibility.

Fighting Poverty through Incentives and Work Mandates for Young Men

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Wage subsidies and work requirements hold the promise of alleviating many social problems, especially poverty. Brookings’s Ron Haskins writes about counteracting the negative behaviors of adolescent boys and young men in a new brief.

The Future of Children: Fall 2007 : The Next Generation of Antipoverty Policies

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This semiannual journal provides research and analysis to promote effective policies and programs for children. This issue focuses on antipoverty policies.

Welfare to (Non-Traditional) Work?

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Interview with Ron Haskins (08/03/07)

Immigration: Wages, Education and Mobility

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Report by Ron Haskins (July 2007)

Child Protection : Using Research to Improve Policy and Practice

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) is the first nationally representative study of children who have been reported to authorities as suspected victims of abuse or neglect and the public programs that protect them.Child Pro

The Rise Of the Bottom Fifth: How to Build on the Gains Of Welfare Reform

Tue, 29 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Article by Ron Haskins (05/29/07)

Ending Poverty in America: Using Carrots and Sticks

Tue, 01 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Article by Ron Haskins and Isabel V. Sawhill (May 2007)

A Plan to Improve the Quality of Teaching in American Schools

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Future of Children Policy Brief by Ron Haskins and Susanna Loeb (Spring 2007)

Attacking Poverty and Inequality: Reinvigorate the Fight for Greater Opportunity

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Although the nation's poverty rate is higher now than it was in the 1970s, no President since Lyndon Johnson has made fighting poverty a major plank of his campaign or goal of his administration. With large and growing gaps between the rich and the poor, it is now time for presidential campaigns and the next President to focus on poverty and inequality in America.

The Earned Income Tax Credit

Thu, 22 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony by Ron Haskins (2/22/07)

Alleviating Child Poverty in the Long Run

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony by Ron Haskins, House Committee on Ways and Means (1/24/07)

Work over Welfare : The Inside Story of the 1996 Welfare Reform Law

Sun, 01 Oct 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Ron Haskins tells the inside story of the legislation that ended "welfare as we know it."

Interview: Welfare reform, 10 years later

Thu, 24 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT

An Interview with Ron Haskins

Welfare Reform Changes Women's Lives

Tue, 22 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT

An NPR Interview with Ron Haskins

Welfare Reform, 10 Years Later

Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Ron Haskins (8/18/2006)

Welfare Revisited: Young Men Need Incentives

Sat, 19 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Ron Haskins' NPR Op-Ed about Welfare Reform

Ten Years of Welfare Reform

Thu, 17 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Ron Haskins' appearance on NPR's Talk of the Nation

Welfare Check

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Ron Haskins Opinion Appearing in the Wall Street Journal, July 27, 2006

The Outcomes of 1996 Welfare Reform

Wed, 19 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony by Ron Haskins, House Committee on Ways and Means (7/19/06)

Trends in Family Composition

Wed, 03 May 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony of Ron Haskins House Committee on Appropriations (5/3/06)

The Education Flatline: Causes and Solutions

Tue, 28 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMT

The following are papers presented at the March 28, 2006 forum co-sponsored by the Foundation for Child Development and the Brookings Institution to release the 2006 Child and Youth Well-being Index designed by Kenneth Land of Duke University.

Welfare Reform, Success or Failure? It Worked

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Article by Ron Haskins, APHSA Policy & Practice (03/06)

Fighting Obesity in the Public Schools

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Childhood obesity is a growing national problem. Federal, state, and local policymakers and practitioners recognize the need to take strong action. Public schools are playing a central role in fighting childhood obesity despite both political and financial constraints.

Strengthen Marriage, But Maintain Safety Net

Tue, 15 Nov 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Sara McLanahan and Ron Haskins, The Baltimore Sun (11/15/05)

The Case for Federal Programs to Promote Marriage

Thu, 06 Oct 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony by Ron Haskins, Senate Committee on Appropriations (10/6/05)

The Future of Children: Fall 2005 : Marriage and Child Wellbeing

Tue, 06 Sep 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Subscribe to The Future of Children

This second volume examines family formation and child well-being, with a particu

The Decline in Marriage: What To Do

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 00:00:00 GMT

High U.S. rates of family dissolution and lone-parent child rearing impose large costs on individuals and society. A variety of new federal and state initiatives are attempting to promote family formation and healthy marriage among interested couples, including poor and minority couples who have had babies outside marriage. Careful evaluations of these programs should identify which are most effective.

Support State Experiments to Improve Head Start

Fri, 26 Aug 2005 00:00:00 GMT

With no serious changes in Head Start in prospect, and with splintered funding for preschool programs continuing, millions of poor and minority children will still be ill-prepared for the rigors of schooling. Ron Haskins explores policy options.

The School Lunch Lobby

Wed, 01 Jun 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Article by Ron Haskins, Education Next (Summer 2005)

Closing Achievement Gaps

Tue, 01 Mar 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Future of Children Brief by Ron Haskins and Cecilia Rouse (Spring 2005)

Domestic Entitlement Programs

Thu, 17 Feb 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony by Ron Haskins, House Committee on the Budget (2/17/05)

The Future of the Personal Responsibility, Work, and Family Promotion Act

Thu, 10 Feb 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony by Ron Haskins, House Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Human Resources (2/10/05)

Federal Policy for Immigrant Children: Room for Common Ground?

Tue, 01 Jun 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Future of Children Brief by Ron Haskins, Mark Greenberg, and Shawn Fremstad (Summer 2004)

Lost in ""No-Man's Land""

Mon, 31 May 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Interview with Ron Haskins (5/31/04)

Federal Programs to Promote Marriage

Wed, 05 May 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony of Ron Haskins (5/05/04)

Compelling Case to Reauthorize Welfare Reform

Mon, 19 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Article by Bill Archer, Rep. E. Clay Shaw Jr., and Ron Haskins (1/19/2004)

Competing Visions

Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Ron Haskins examines President Bush's proposal to reform Head Start and Congress's response.

Work and Marriage: The Way to End Poverty and Welfare

Mon, 01 Sep 2003 00:00:00 GMT

WR&B Policy Brief by Ron Haskins and Isabel Sawhill (9/2003

The Future of Head Start

Wed, 02 Jul 2003 00:00:00 GMT

Ron Haskins and Isabel Sawhill discuss President Bush's Head Start proposal and argue that, given the vital importance of education to achieving equality of opportunity, the nation must find ways to improve both preschool education and the K through 12 school system.

Overview of TANF: Welfare Reform & Beyond Initiative

Mon, 19 May 2003 00:00:00 GMT

This powerpoint by Ron Haskins provides an overview of income and employment trends over the last several years for families likely to have been affected by 1996 reforms to the federal welfare law.

Achieving Compromise on Welfare Reform Reauthorization

Thu, 01 May 2003 00:00:00 GMT

Although Congress did not reach a compromise last year, Republicans and Democrats and the House and Senate are not that far apart on welfare reform legislation, argues Ron Haskins and Paul Offner

Welfare Reform

Thu, 20 Feb 2003 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony of Ron Haskins, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, before the Committee on Finance, February 20, 2003

Welfare Reform and Beyond : The Future of the Safety Net

Tue, 30 Apr 2002 00:00:00 GMT

The Brookings Institutions Welfare Reform & Beyond Initiative was created to inform the critical policy debates surrounding the upcoming congressional reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and a number of rela

Welfare Reform and the Work Support System

Sat, 02 Mar 2002 00:00:00 GMT

Isabel Sawhill and Ron Haskins provide an overview of work support programs and examine the pros and cons of proposals to expand them.

Welfare Benefits for Non-citizens

Sat, 02 Feb 2002 00:00:00 GMT

Michael Fix and Ron Haskins discuss one of the more contentious issues in the 1996 welfare reform debate on whether the federal government should provide welfare benefits to non-citizens who are legal residents of the United States.

Welfare Reform: A Mother's Work

Tue, 13 Nov 2001 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Ron Haskins, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution, in The Washington Post, Novmber 13, 2001

Welfare Reform: An Examination of Effects

Thu, 20 Sep 2001 00:00:00 GMT

Ron Haskins Remarks to the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce

The New World of Welfare

Tue, 18 Sep 2001 00:00:00 GMT

The sweeping welfare reform legislation of 1996 will soon be up before Congress for reauthorization. The need for reauthorization presents an opportunity to assess what welfare reform has accomplished and what remains to be done. The New World of Wel

Making Ends Meet: Challenges Facing Working Families in America

Wed, 01 Aug 2001 00:00:00 GMT

Ron Haskins Remarks to the U.S. House Committee on the Budget: August 1, 2001

Welfare Reform and Poverty

Sun, 01 Jul 2001 00:00:00 GMT

Ron Haskins and Wendell Primus begin their discussion with a rendition of the facts about poverty on which there is broad agreement. After that, they address a number of policies aimed at reducing child poverty that they expect to dominate the reauthorization debate.

The U.S. Child Support Enforcement Program

Thu, 28 Jun 2001 00:00:00 GMT

Ron Haskins Remarks to the U.S. House Subcommittee on Human Resources, Committee on Ways and Means, June 28, 2001

The U.S. Federal Food Stamp Program and Its Relationship to Welfare Reform

Wed, 27 Jun 2001 00:00:00 GMT

Ron Haskins Remarks to the U.S. House Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry, Committee on Agriculture, June 27, 2001

Giving is Not Enough: Work and Work Supports Are Reducing Poverty

Fri, 01 Jun 2001 00:00:00 GMT

Brookings Review article by Ron Haskins (Summer 2001)

Revisiting Welfare

Wed, 14 Feb 2001 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Ron Haskins, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution, and Rebecca Blank, Dean, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan, in The Washington Post, February 14, 2001

Welfare Reform Reauthorization: An Overview of Problems and Issues

Mon, 01 Jan 2001 00:00:00 GMT

Isabel V. Sawhill, R. Kent Weaver, and Ron Haskins turn their attention to issues and problems that researchers and advocates believe need to be addressed in reauthorization.

Welfare Reform: An Overview of Effects to Date

Mon, 01 Jan 2001 00:00:00 GMT

Isabel V. Sawhill, R. Kent Weaver, and Ron Haskins discuss the effects of welfare reform legislation, and a number of issues and problems raised by researchers and advocates, who believe must be addressed in reauthorization.