_-- Public Policy Network - Posting to [log in to unmask] --_


Hello all,

Somewhat off-purpose to the list, would like to concur with Gene Shackman's
excellent points that assessing government program impacts on poverty
depends on at least a) how one measures poverty, b) what government
programs one includes in the assessment, and c) the assumptions one has on
how the two may be related, and what happens in the absence of a program.
The last of these may even be the most important determinant of what
findings one may expect and how they're interpreted --the effects of given
new policies must be projected or assessed alongside developments in a
parallel scenario where no new policy is implemented at all (see Teune,
1973, especially pp. 247-252).  And of course the parallel scenario also
needs to include not only the benefits, but also the costs, of "doing
nothing.." Additional, more recent reference included on how also
international comparative assessments of government action against poverty
reach different conclusions depending on what programs are considered--for
example, British relative poverty levels are apparently comparable to
Swedish levels when public health benefits are considered, but much higher
than Swedish levels when they're not.

Eero Carroll
SOFI, Stockholm Univ.

Refs:

Smeeding T S, Saunders P, Coder J, Jenkins S, Fritzell J, Hagenaars A J M,
Hauser  R, Wolfson M.  (1993):  'Poverty, inequality and family living
standards       impacts across seven nations:  The effect of noncash subsidies
for health,     education and housing', The Review of Income and Wealth 39:
229-56.

Teune, Henry.  1973.  ”Public Policy:  Macro Perspectives.”  In Zaltman,
Gerald  (Ed.),  Processes and Phenomena of Social Change.  New York:  John
Wiley   and Sons.   pp. 239-255.


       _-------                           -------_
            Public Policy Network - PUBPOL-L
        http://www.hhh.umn.edu/pubpol/pubpol.htm
           Commands to:  [log in to unmask]
           Subscribe: SUB PUBPOL-L "Your Name"
       _       Unsubscribe: UNSUB PUBPOL-L       _
        -------                           -------