Over the past 30 years, welfare and other public programs for poor families have focused increasingly on promoting parents' self-sufficiency by requiring and supporting employment. Evidence from a diverse set of random-assignment experiments now reveals some of the conditions under which promoting work among low-income, single parents helps or…

Standard benefit-incidence analysis assumes that the subsidy and the quality of educational services are the same for all income deciles. This paper takes a new approach, a "marginal willingness to pay" analysis that measures the impact of the government's provision of public schools on the educational spending behavior of an average…

With the introduction of a growing number of private schools in the third world, several organisations and groups are endeavouring to examine the effects of such schooling systems on poor pupils. Professor James Tooley, the client, has collected data from seven regions internationally (three in India, three in Africa and one in China). For this…

The process of transferring agricultural technology in many countries was studied to determine the perceived educational and financial needs of small-scale dairy farmers in Socopo, Venezuela. The following data were collected: (1) demographic characteristics--age, educational level, farm size, number of lactating cows, dairy farming experience,…

This study investigated how 223 mothers and 200 fathers of 3- to 6-year-old children from Taiwan saw their child-rearing strengths and shortcomings. The Mandarin version of the Parent as a Teacher Inventory (PAAT) was administered to each of the 423 subjects. This instrument is designed to examine five aspects of interaction between parent and…

This report provides an overview of the numbers, characteristics, and economic situation of lone-parent families in the European Community. The report aims to take at least a first step toward providing information that would enable policy-makers to address the problems faced by single-parent families. The report concludes that women's…

The issue of integrating work and family responsibilities has been the subject of federal, provincial, and territorial policy planning and several task forces in Canada. This report plus executive summary, designed to inform the dialogue and stimulate continued discussion, brings together a wide variety of work-life facts and figures related to…

Public education in Ireland is under the control of three different boards--the Commissioners of National Education, established in 1845 and which has charge of the elementary public school system; the Intermediate Board of Commissioners, established in 1878 and which controls a large number of secondary schools; and the Department of Agriculture…

This study of Third International Mathematics and Science Study results addresses the issue of resource availability in rural and urban Australian schools, considering student attitudes toward math and science and career aspirations. Rural schools are more adequately resourced than urban ones. Students' attitudes and aspirations positively affect…

In this paper, we describe the household wealth distribution in the United States and United Kingdom over the past two decades, and compare both wealth inequality and the form in which wealth is held. Unconditionally, there are large differences in financial wealth between the two countries at the top fifth of the wealth distribution. Even after…

This report examines student financial assistance schemes in Australia in terms of their effectiveness and administration; particular reference is made to the findings of the Auditor-General's report on the administration of the Austudy program. The report discusses topics within the areas of program effectiveness, eligibility criteria, the…

Higher education costs are borne by four parties: taxpayers, parents, students, and philanthropists. From a cost-sharing paradigm, a number of public policy instruments may be viewed as devices to apportion higher education's costs among their potential bearers. (MLW)

The demographics of U.S. elementary and secondary schools are changing rapidly as a result of record-high immigration. These demographic shifts are occurring alongside implementation of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the landmark 2002 federal law that holds schools accountable for the academic performance of limited English speaking children…

A community development program in rural China aimed to enhance women's economic and social opportunities as a means of lowering fertility rates. The program involved agricultural seminars and extension services, organized cultural and entertainment activities, and political meetings. Village leaders took part in seminars on community development,…

A 5-year Canadian study examined community factors that influence child development. Surveys of 13 communities found the most important family factors to be family income and mother's education. The most important community factors were social support, neighborhood safety, residential stability, and use of resources. Efforts should focus on…