Do perceptions about how the government spends tax dollars affect the willingness to pay taxes? We designed a field experiment to test this hypothesis in a natural, high-stakes context and via revealed preferences. We measure perceptions about the share of property tax revenues that fund public schools and the share of property taxes that are…

Comprehensive child care and early learning policy benefits everybody. From the benefits to the American economy and businesses, to the ways it improves healthy child development and educational outcomes, to the prospects for greater gender, racial, and economic equity, everyone in the United States has something to gain from a significant…

This paper examines the debate in the U.S. Senate over the reasons why state governments have decreased funding for higher education. One side believes that federal mandates on states to pay for Medicaid have forced them to reduce spending on higher education. The other side believes that states unwisely reduced taxes, which decreased their…

The United States has long thrived as a result of its ability to manufacture goods and sell them to global markets. Manufacturing activity has supported its economic growth, leading the Nation's exports and employing millions of Americans. The manufacturing sector has also driven knowledge production and innovation in the United States, by…

Fill it out and turn it in: that's the message thousands of school districts send parents each year when they offer applications for the federal government's National School Lunch Program (NSLP). And each year, millions of parents comply. But new data suggest that the process for verifying eligibility for the program is fundamentally broken and…

For many decades, the six national disability advocacy organizations that endorse the legislative agenda contained in this document have recognized the vital role the federal government plays in the everyday lives of children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families. From civil rights protections to community housing, from…

States and localities issue debt to finance projects undertaken by government and, in some cases, by the private sector (bonds issued by states and localities to finance either government operations or certain private-sector activities are known as municipal bonds). The federal government subsidizes the issuance of municipal bonds by offering tax…

In an ongoing debate about the relative costs of the federal government's direct and guaranteed student loan programs, some budget experts and private lenders have argued for the use of "market cost" estimates. They assert that official government cost estimates for federal student loans differ from what private entities would likely charge…

The vast bulk of economic activity in the United States is taxed by the federal government. There are exceptions carved out, primarily for charitable operations, including universities. The rationale is that these organizations serve the public good and should not be reduced in magnitude by the deleterious effects of taxes. Universities in…

Compared the willingness of states to invest in higher education and institutional sectors by studying state expenditures and fiscal tax effort. Findings show significant disparities in the ways states finance higher education and its sectors. Poorer states tend to exert more tax effort in public higher education, while wealthier states are less…

The major purpose of these hearings was to assess the reasons for the increase in the poverty rate, from 11.4 percent in 1978 to 15 percent in 1983. Topics examined included (1) the relation of the increase to the recession, demographic trends, budget reductions, and the 10-year decline in the real level of public assistance benefits; (2) the…

Reviews existing federal tax policy affecting higher education, suggests guidelines and alternative policies that may be addressed in future debates on tax law reform, and describes the economic and political incentives and disincentives for federal policy-makers in modifying the existing laws. (Author/IRT)

Few researchers have examined how individual giving to higher education is effected by the economy, specifically during downturns and periodic changes in tax laws. Further understanding the relationship between the economy's cycles and philanthropic giving, including the correlation of tax cuts to donations, will help colleges and universities…

The federal role in education finance is commonly seen as compensatory. The federal government gives large sums of money to low-income schools and school districts through programs such as Title 1. Yet, this view of federal aid is based solely on direct educational expenditures. The federal government and state governments also support schools…

Testimony is offered concerning the policy implications of research findings identifying qualities common to strong families and aspects of family effectiveness. It is argued that the Federal government should recognize and respect the intact two-parent family as the most efficient family structure and must not interfere with the free exercise of…