Research in behavioral economics has shown that small changes in the environment can make it easier for people to act and make decisions that support their goals. For example, research suggests that small changes to make processes easier — such as simplifying application instructions, prepopulating forms with available required information, and streamlining procedures — can improve human services program design and outcomes. The Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) project used behavioral insights to address issues related to the operations, implementation, and efficacy…
Both wages and labor force participation have been declining for young, less-educated men since the mid-1970s. The purpose of this article is to examine how key income-security policy areas--including unemployment insurance, payroll taxes and the Earned Income Tax Credit, and child support enforcement--affect these men. The article concludes with policy recommendations to improve the impact of work-based subsidies on poverty among low-income men. Subsidized jobs in transitional job programs could play a critical role in helping these men access these subsidies. (Author abstract)
As described in earlier articles, children whose parents have higher income and education levels are more likely to grow up in stable two-parent households than their economically disadvantaged counterparts. These widening gaps in fathers' involvement in parenting and in the quality and stability of parents' relationships may reinforce disparities in outcomes for the next generation. This paper reviews evidence about the effectiveness of two strategies to strengthen fathers' involvement and family relationships-- fatherhood programs aimed at disadvantaged noncustodial fathers and relationship…
Over time, public policy changes have strengthened the private child support system while reducing access to public support--welfare. Especially given the very limited availability of public support, nonresident fathers' economic contributions through child support can play an important role in helping children avoid poverty. In this paper we review evidence on nonresident fathers' ability to pay support, provide an overview of the way child support policies affect disadvantaged fathers, and propose new directions for child support policy. We argue that the current work-focused safety net,…
Other, Brief
This paper analyzes legislative proposals that address marriage, and the potential impact on current fatherhood programs serving low-income families. The initiation of fatherhood programs following the passage of the Personal Responsibility Work Opportunities Reconciliation Act in 1996 is reviewed and current legislative proposals are described, including: the Child Support Distribution Act of 2001 and the Fathers Count Act of 1999, which combine child support reform measures with fatherhood provisions; the Strengthening Working Families Act, which contains child support distribution…
Noncustodial fathers have an essential role to play--both financially and emotionally--in the lives of their children. However, of the 11 million noncustodial fathers in the US, two thirds do not pay any formal child support. Many of these fathers are poor themselves and face multiple barriers, including low education levels, limited work experience, and criminal records, which impede their success in the labor market as well as their ability to provide for their children.Working Dads: Final Report on the Fathers at Work Initiative presents findings from P/PV's evaluation of Fathers at…
Other
In 2006, New York became the first state in the country to enact legislation that consists of two innovative policies that are designed to help low-income noncustodial parents (mostly fathers) find work and pay the full amount of their current child support called the Strengthening Families Through Stronger Fathers Initiative. This report describes this initiative and gives detailed information about the five pilot sites that are providing employment services to low-income noncustodial parents in the following New York communities: Buffalo, Jamestown, New York City and Syracuse. It is the…
Other
The first webinar in the 2012-2013 IRP series, The Implications of Complex Families for Poverty and Child Support Policy, was presented by two national experts in the field, Maria Cancian and Daniel R. Meyer. We often think of families with children as including a mother, father, and their children in common. However, about 40 percent of children are now born to unmarried parents, and estimates suggest that more often than not, one or both of these parents will go on to have children with other partners--that is, the mother will go on to have a child with a different father and/or the father…
In 2006, New York instituted a noncustodial parent earned income tax credit (NCP EITC) to encourage low-income noncustodial parents to work and pay child support. This study examines the credit's impacts through 2009. We use a regression discontinuity approach exploiting a drop in NCP EITC eligibility when taxpayers' youngest children turn 18, and find the NCP EITC increased the proportion of noncustodial parents paying their child support in full by approximately 1 percentage point. Effects were stronger among parents with low child support orders. Our estimates may represent upper-bound…
Many parents without custody of their children work and pay their full child support despite their meager incomes. In 2006, the New York State Legislature enacted a new tax credit to help these parents make ends meet as they pay their child support in full. Although the tax credit was successfully implemented in 2006, only 5,280 noncustodial parents received the tax credit that year. This report identifies three reasons for this result. It also describes how the law was implemented and the challenges that were encountered during implementation. It concludes by examining who might be motivated…
