Many U.S. policymakers support changing the "culture" of poor parents to encourage marriage, work, and religion as a means to end the intergenerational transmission of poverty. In this article Jens Ludwig and Susan Mayer review and evaluate research on how parental work, marriage, and religion affect children's socioeconomic status…

Discusses the effects of poverty on children and current public policy toward child poverty, including areas of unmet need and recommendations for policies to meet the needs of poor children. The overall focus is on the potential to develop effective policies for children in poverty. (SLD)

Reviews programs for increasing earnings of parents with low market skills to prevent pretransfer poverty and discusses three types of income supplementation (public cash transfers, private child support payments, and tax credits) and how successful they are in reducing poverty. Also provides international comparisons of policies to reduce child…

L. Goldberg, T. W. Schultz, and M. Piel comment on proposed funding strategies for an allowance for child care for poor families, the creation of a parental leave policy to ensure infant care, and a plan to link public schooling and child care. The commentaries suggest proposal refinements or alternatives. (SLD)

The authors of proposals for a child care allowance for poor families, a parental leave program to ensure infant care, and a linkage of child care and public education systems respond to comments by three reviewers. The commentaries illustrate the diversity of perspectives on child care and the public sector. (SLD)