Investing in the Disadvantaged : Assessing the Benefits and Costs of Social Policies

by Weimer, David L.; Vining, Aidan R.

• ISBN13: 9781589012578
• ISBN10: 1589012577
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-04-15
• Publisher: Georgetown Univ Pr

Summary

With budgets squeezed at every level of government, cost-benefit analysis (CBA) holds outstanding potential for assessing the efficiency of many programs. In this first book to address the application of CBA to social policy, experts examine ten of the most important policy domains: early childhood development, elementary and secondary schools, health care for the disadvantaged, mental illness, substance abuse and addiction, juvenile crime, prisoner reentry programs, housing assistance, work-incentive programs for the unemployed and employers, and welfare-to-work interventions. Each contributor discusses the applicability of CBA to actual programs, describing both proven and promising examples. The editors provide an introduction to cost-benefit analysis, assess the programs described, and propose a research agenda for promoting its more widespread application in social policy. Investing in the Disadvantaged considers how to face America¿s most urgent social needs with shrinking resources, showing how CBA can be used to inform policy choices that produce social value.

Author Biography

David L. Weimer is professor of public affairs and political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a former president of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. Aidan R. Vining is CNABS Professor of Business and Government Relations at Simon Fraser University.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. ix
Foreword	p. xi
Preface	p. xv
Assessing the Costs and Benefits of Social Policies	p. 1
Early Childhood Interventions	p. 17
Elementary and Secondary Schooling	p. 31
Health Care for Disadvantaged Populations	p. 49
Adults with Serious Mental Illnesses	p. 67
Illicit Substance Abuse and Addiction	p. 83
Juvenile Crime Interventions	p. 103
Prisoner Reentry Programming	p. 127
Housing Assistance to Promote Human Capital	p. 151
Encouraging Work	p. 163
Next Steps in Welfare-to-Work	p. 187
Welfare-to-Work and Work-Incentive Programs	p. 205
Overview of the State-of-the-Art of CBA in Social Policy	p. 219
An Agenda for Promoting and Improving the Use of CBA in Social Policy	p. 249
List of Contributors	p. 273
Index	p. 277
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