| Abstract
| - To what extent have children lost economic ground, and why? This article presents findings from a study comparing the income status of children with that of adults and elderly people in 1969, 1979, and 1989. From 1969 to 1989 children lost ground economically to the other two age groups, at the points of both pretransfer and posttransfer income distribution, as a result of strong economic, demographic, and social policy forces that are beyond the sphere of welfare reform. As the United States embarks on a major change in social policy on income transfers for low-income families and their children, policymakers need to be aware of the declining economic fortunes of children and the causes, if they intend to take steps to deal with it.
|
