This project uses data from the 2005/2006 National Health Interview Survey to provide a profile of the prevalence of different types of disability and employment among TANF recipients. We find that prevalence of disability varies widely depending on the specific measure used. Using narrow and broad composite disability measures, anywhere from 10 to 40 percent of TANF recipients have a disability and almost one-fifth have a family member with a disability. Disability prevalence among Food Stamp recipients is similar to TANF but low-income mothers have lower prevalence on almost all measures. Employment among TANF recipients with disabilities is considerably lower than among recipients without disabilities.

The District of Columbia's leaders have committed to capitalizing on the city's many assets and taking advantage of its recent growth and prosperity to tackle persistent challenges of inequality and exclusion. This report, prepared for the D.C. Office of Planning, seeks to aid the city's leaders and citizens through tracking and measuring major economic and social indicators. The report provides a baseline assessment of the current situation in the city and its neighborhoods in nine subject categories: demographics; jobs and income; housing; education; health; family, youth, and seniors; safety and security; public investment; and environment.

Career change is common at older ages. This report shows that 27 percent of workers employed full time at age 51 to 55 change occupations by age 65 to 69. More than one-third of older job leavers separate because of job layoffs or health problems, including nearly half of those who did not complete high school. Workers who change careers typically move into jobs that pay less than their previous jobs and are less likely to offer pension and health benefits. However, new careers tend to offer more flexible employment arrangements, less stressful working conditions, and fewer managerial responsibilities.

The stock market gained 35 percent between March 9, 2009 and May 5, 2009. For those who held on to their equities, these gains reversed some of the massive losses experienced since September 2007. This fact sheet examines the impact of the ongoing economic turmoil on older households and presents estimates of the retirement account losses to date.

As President Obama and the 111th Congress prepare to assume office, Urban Institute (UI) experts offer their advice on evidence-based policymaking and the policy issues facing the country. Charles Cadwell, Director of UI’s Center on International Development and Governance (IDG) argues that foreign aid and a renewed emphasis on international development are essential to national security and international stability, but that money alone will not achieve the desired policy outcomes. Policies and institutions, not resources, pose the greatest constraints and require the most work ahead.

The purpose of this note is to help both local and national government officials think through possible strategies for addressing one of the fundamental issues facing Serbian municipalities today: How do Serbian local governments increase the revenues they need to improve their public infrastructure while simultaneously creating an environment favorable to private investment and local economic development? This is a dilemma that local governments face throughout the world but which is particularly pressing in many developing and transition countries where local governments must address huge deficits in urban infrastructure without at the same time over taxing their business communities upon which their future growth depends. It is also of particular importance in Nis, the third largest city in Serbia and the economic engine of the southern and least developed part of the country.

For the public sector to deliver public services and achieve its policy objectives, it is critical that public finances are managed well. Critics of decentralization point out that local governments are often administratively weak, and that poor local financial management can negate the potential benefits from decentralization. While the available research suggests that local financial management outcomes are influenced by more than a local government’s financial management practices, little is known in the literature about the determinants of effective local financial management in developing and transition economies. The empirical analysis in this paper uses data for local government authorities in Tanzania in order to explore the relationship between local financial management performance on one hand, and local management practices, local governance, and other local characteristics on the other hand.

The one-third drop in the S&P 500 index between year-end 2007 and 2008 raises concerns about retirement security since Americans now hold more equities through their retirement plans. Those near retirement will fare the worst because they have no time to recoup their losses. Midcareer workers will fare better because they have more time to rebuild their wealth. They may even gain income if they buy stocks at low prices and get above-average rates of return. High-income groups will be the most affected because they are most likely to have financial assets and to be invested in the stock market.

Although much of the media have focused on the consequences of the foreclosure crisis for financial markets, lending institutions, and homeowners, comparatively less attention has been paid to how housing foreclosures have affected renters. This report, sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and using local administrative data from NeighborhoodInfo DC, documents the extent to which foreclosures in Washington, D.C., have occurred in renter-occupied homes and apartments. The conclusion outlines several policy options for helping renters during this difficult period.

The latest statistics show that 46 million Americans were uninsured in 2007. Health care costs threaten to bankrupt the nation if we can't figure out a way to slow their growth and pay for the government's growing share. Adding to the government's unfunded health care obligations would be reckless and irresponsible. In this statement, I will discuss some issues involved in measuring the impact of health care financing options, discuss an option to pay for universal health care coverage with a value added tax (VAT), and examine several incremental options to pay for all or part of health care coverage expansions.