Publications -- Social

Oct 14, 1999

BA #305 – Portland: Smart Growth's Bad Example

City officials and planners from all over the world are traveling to Portland, Ore., for a first hand look at the municipal pioneer of Smart Growth (also known as the New Urbanism), the latest fad in urban planning. Smart Growth promises less congestion, less air pollution, reduced infrastructure costs, more affordable housing and protection of open space through six basic policies...

Sep 24, 1998

ST #219 – Crime and Punishment in America: 1998

Serious crime in the United States soared to alarming heights beginning in the 1960s, but began leveling off in the 1980s and has declined by one-third during the 1990s. Every category of violent crime has decreased since 1993. Last year, serious crime reported to the police was only 5 percent above the rates for 1970, and in many cities across the country, it matched the crime rates of the 1960s.

Jul 10, 1998

BA #272 – Are School Vouchers Constitutional?

Many legislators who vote for sweeping government programs without a second thought about their constitutionality suddenly grow concerned when the issue is school vouchers. The moment a dollar of public funds crosses the threshold of a religious school, they contend, it violates "separation of church and state."

Jan 19, 1998

BA #255 – Clinton's Child Care Proposals: The Mediocre, the Bad and the Ugly

President Clinton wants to raise the Child and Dependent Tax Credit for most families with adjusted gross incomes of $60,000 or less. Currently, families earning $10,000 or less can get a credit equal to 30 percent of their child-care expenses. That is, for every dollar they spend on child care, they get a 30-cent tax rebate from the government.

Aug 01, 1997

ST #210 – The State of the Children: An Examination of Government-Run Foster Care

This study is the result of a two-year undertaking by the Institute for Children to gather accurate data on three of the most pressing questions in child welfare: (1) How many children are in foster care? (2) How many of these children are legally free to be adopted? (3) How well are the states doing at finding adoptive homes for children?

May 14, 1997

BA #228 – Languishing in Foster Care

More than half a million American children are in government-run foster care today. The federal government dictates -- and funds -- much of foster care policy, but states carry it out. Originally intended to provide safe, temporary homes for abused children, the $12 billion foster care system frequently keeps children in care for years -- long after they are legally free to be adopted.

Nov 09, 1995

BA #187 – How Not To Be Poor

There is a strong correlation between poverty and certian behaviors. Thus one solution to the problem of poverty is to encourage young Americans to avoid behavior that will tend to lead them into poverty.

Oct 25, 1995

BA #185 – How Poor Are The Poor?

Although the poverty rate receives the most attention, another recent Census Bureau report adds an important perspective on the state of the poor in America today.

Aug 01, 1995

ST #196 – Multiculturalism and Economic Growth

Multiculturalism is in vogue today among academicians, politicians and the media. But anthropologists identify cultural diversity as a universal source of social conflict and often as a barrier to economic progress as well as personal freedom.

Mar 01, 1990

ST #150 – Efficiency and Inefficiency in Texas Public Schools

On the whole, Texas public schools are very inefficient. If we compare student achievement scores with the amount of money spent to achieve those scores, we conclude that about one out of every three dollars spent on public education is being wasted.