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Child support in the United States used to be straightforward: mothers were given custody of the children, and fathers, who normally had higher incomes, were ordered to pay child support. The situation may be growing more and more complex, however, as men increasingly receive custody of their children. Daniel R. Meyer, an IRP affiliate, and Steven Garasky, an economist at Iowa State University, have examined current trends in male custody and find that the reality differs in many respects from the common conceptions about custodial fathers. This article is based on their paper exploring the…
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This paper describes the federally funded teenage parent demonstration initiative to address the problems of teenage parenting. Child welfare agencies in Chicago, Illinois, and Camden and Newark, New Jersey, participated in the initiative, providing services that encouraged the self-sufficiency of the parents. The mandatory program was employment-oriented, focusing on education, job training, and working. Transportation and child care assistance was provided, as well as in-house workshops on home management, parenting, health and nutrition, and workplace skills. Lessons learned from the…