State-Level Policymaking and Hardship among Families with Children

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

Discretionary programs and state and local spending, which vary considerably by geography and economic conditions, constitute the majority of public investments in children (Isaacs, 2009). States bear the primary responsibility for certain programs (e.g., K-12 education), administer several federal programs (e.g., Medicaid, child care subsidies), and may choose to expand children’s programming or benefits such as public preschool, paid family and medical leave programs, and tax credits, adding to geographic and time variability in public investments. An growing body of research indicates that state-level public spending and programs targeted to families and children improves their well-being and narrows inequalities in family investments and children’s health and development (Averett & Wang, 2018; Flood et al., 2021; Goodman-Bacon, 2016; Jackson et al., 2022). However, how state policy variation, particularly in safety net programs, affects a range of child and family outcomes and across family types is not well-understood, and can be used to inform current policy debates.

The four papers in this interdisciplinary panel offer multiple perspectives on how state variation in policymaking care needs and policies affect economic well-being across multiple generations. The authors use a variety of survey data and rigorous methods to draw policy-relevant conclusions, representing the fields of sociology, public policy, economics, and developmental psychology. In the first paper, Osborne and Haralampoudis examine how state policies and benefits change over time, and simulate several proposed changes to state policies in 2025. The next three papers exploit the increased safety net investments during the COVID-19 pandemic to examine how safety-net investments affect measures of material hardship. In the second paper, Goodman and colleagues use simulated state-level safety net program benefit levels over time (before and during the pandemic) to examine the effects of state generosity on food insecurity. Importantly, the authors attend to the different benefit types (e.g., cash vs. food assistance) and heterogeneity in effects of spending and programming. Hamilton and colleagues use a combination of survey and policy datasets and a simulated instrument to examine how pandemic relief programming affected material hardship among young adults. In the final paper, Jackson et al. use unique state-level data on public spending on programs related to children and families merged with the longitudinal survey data to examine how the totality of public investments during the pandemic relate to measures of family economic well-being (poverty, food insecurity, and income from transfer sources). Collectively, the findings from these studies will inform current policy debates about the state’s role in supporting children and families.

Our two discussants, Colleen Heflin and Sharon Silver, will provide complementary insights. Heflin is a professor at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, with expertise in the safety net and poverty policy. Silver is Chief Executive Officer at Within Reach, an organization that builds healthy communities and policies for children and families in Washington State. Together, they will provide insights into how the papers inform state-level approaches to supporting children and families from research, policy, and practitioner perspectives.

 

 

Policy Area

• Family and Child Policy

Chair

• Christopher L. Pulliam, Columbia University

Discussants

• Colleen M Heflin, Syracuse University

• Sharon Silver, WithinReach

Individual Presentations

• Simulating Cascading Effects of State Policy Changes - Non-Presenting Co-Author: Cynthia Osborne, Vanderbilt University; Presenting Author: Alexandra Haralampoudis, Vanderbilt University

• The Effect of the Social Safety Net on Food Security - Presenting Author: Lucie G. Schmidt, Smith College; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Lara D. Shore-Sheppard, Williams College; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Tara Elizabeth Watson, Brookings Institution

• Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Policies on Young Adult Hardship - Presenting Author: Christal Hamilton, University of Connecticut; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Elizabeth Oltmans Ananat, Barnard College; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Tia M Dickerson, Columbia University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Jane Waldfogel, Columbia University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Christopher Wimer, Columbia University

• State-Level Safety Net Investments and Family Economic Well-Being Before, During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic - Presenting Author: Jiwan Lee, Brown University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Margot Jackson, Brown University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Taryn W. Morrissey, American University