urbanInstitute

Do Child Characteristics Affect How Children Fare in Families Receiving and Leaving Welfare?
Author(s): Sharon Vandivere , Martha Zaslow , Jennifer Brooks , Zakia Redd
Publication Date: August 02, 2004

Previous research using the 1999 National Survey of America's Families (NSAF) found few differences in developmental risk between children in families who were currently receiving welfare and those in families that had formerly received welfare. This paper reports on new NSAF analyses revealing a pattern in which male adolescents in the families of former recipients may be faring worse than their counterparts in the families of current recipients. Differences in family characteristics, such as income, family structure, and parental employment, did not account for the elevated levels of developmental risk found among adolescent boys in former recipient families.

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Tax Preparation for Low-Income Households, Knowledge of the EITC
Author(s): Elaine Maag
Publication Date: August 02, 2004

The Earned Income Tax Credit--the nation's largest cash assistance program for working families--is often criticized for adding complexity to an already overly-complex tax system. This Tax Fact shows that families which are more likely to be eligible for the EITC also are more likely to seek assistance in filing their tax returns.

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Using Outcome Information: Making Data Pay Off
Author(s): Elaine Morley , Linda M. Lampkin
Publication Date: July 31, 2004

After investing in identifying and measuring outcomes, analyzing the data, and reporting results to funders, many nonprofits do not take full advantage of their hard work. Nonprofit program managers may use the information, but there are also other important audiences. Some of these are within the organization, for example, board members and direct service personnel, such as service workers and counselors. In addition, there are a number of potential external users. These could include funders, community members, volunteers, clients, and other nonprofit organizations providing similar services. This guide provides ideas on effective uses of outcome information for nonprofits.

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The New Math on Graduation Rates
Author(s): Christopher B. Swanson
Publication Date: July 28, 2004

The national graduation rate is not the widely broadcast 85 percent. This Education Week commentary corrects the math and reveals the correct figure as much closer to 68 percent. More alarming, minorities nationwide have little more than a 50-50 chance of earning a diploma. We have the No Child Left Behind Act to thank for the unpleasant discovery of low graduation rates. Prospect for the future, however, may not be altogether bleak. Despite a lax regulatory stance now, no legal impediments bar the Department of Education from getting tougher in the future.

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Election 2004: The Latino and Asian Vote
Author(s): Jeffrey S. Passel
Publication Date: July 27, 2004

As election 2004 approaches, impact at the voting booth of the nation's two largest immigrant?dominated populations—Latinos and Asians—is increasing. This fact sheet uses data from the Current Population Survey to detail the demographics of these two populations. Political factors and future trends are also considered. Urban Institute analysis underscores the fact that voting levels among Latinos and Asians lag well behind the groups' population growth, largely because many new immigrants are not yet citizens and their children are still too young to vote. As a result, the full political force of on?going demographic change will be felt over decades, not years.

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The Fiscal Gap and Retirement Saving Revisited
Author(s): Alan J. Auerbach , William G. Gale , Peter Orszag
Publication Date: July 26, 2004

Because of the strikingly large long-term fiscal gaps being projected recently for the United States, researchers have searched for hidden assumptions underlying revenue projections that might be biasing the results. This paper addresses the extent to which alternative projections of tax-preferred retirement accounts affect estimates of the long-term fiscal gap. We review previous work by Boskin (2003), and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO 2004). We show that Boskin's projections imply only very small revisions to standard fiscal gap estimates. The CBO analysis implies an even smaller adjustment. Thus, neither of these contributions changes the conclusion that the United States faces a substantial fiscal gap.

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Real Charitable Choice
Author(s): C. Eugene Steuerle
Publication Date: July 26, 2004

The charitable sector is under increased scrutiny. Partly because of complaints about excess claims of charitable deductions taken by taxpayers, some questionable payments to board members of foundations and other charitable officials, and inefficient practices and excess administrative costs, the Senate Finance Committee staff has put forward a set of proposals for consideration by the Congress.

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Senator Kerry's Tax Proposals
Author(s): Leonard E. Burman , Jeff Rohaly
Publication Date: July 23, 2004

This note provides a very preliminary summary and distributional analysis of Senator Kerry's tax proposals. Some details of the proposal are not publicly available. The following summary is based on information from Kerry's website (speeches, press releases, and policy papers), communications with campaign staff and advisors, and some guesses about how the proposals will be made operational. The Tax Policy Center will update and correct this as more details become available.

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Budget Rules
Author(s): Rudolph G. Penner , C. Eugene Steuerle
Publication Date: July 23, 2004

Budget rules are both necessary and arbitrary, apply one-time or over time, and are frequently associated with some numerical target. The Budget Enforcement Act (BEA) rules of 1990 worked primarily because they enforced an agreement already made, backing up a broad political consensus with much of the explicit deficit cutting legislated up front. Conditions today are very different. No political consensus now exists, yet the task is even harder: some control over existing entitlement growth is required, e.g., through automatic adjustments. Various other issues, such as sunsets, rule suspensions, and technical feasibility are also examined.

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Who Raises Contributions for America's Nonprofit Organizations?
Author(s): Mark A. Hager
Publication Date: July 23, 2004

This brief summarizes findings from a U.S. national survey of nonprofit organizations in the fall of 2001. It describes the recent growth of use of staff members whose primary responsibility is fundraising. Even in organizations with such a staff member, involvement of other staff, volunteers, and board members in fundraising is common. Additionally, some organizations receive fundraising support from partner organizations, either other community organizations that share their funds or professional solicitation firms that conduct fundraising campaigns. The brief is a summary of a longer paper. The overhead cost project is a collaboration with the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

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