Book Reviews

Abstract

How can the United States create more economic and social mobility for families who are at the bottom of the income and wealth distribution? This is the question that Ron Haskins and Isabel Sawhill address in Creating an Opportunity Society Á a book in which they discuss the lack of opportunity and its causes as well as a pragmatic approach to creating an opportunity society that acknowledges the role of government in helping people make responsible life choices. The authors present specific policy recommendations in the areas of education, employment, and family life with persuasive arguments that build on impressive research evidence to provide a concrete vision of feasible policy steps that could bring the country closer to an American opportunity society.In the area of education, the authors propose expanding educational opportunities for disadvantaged families at the pre-elementary, elementary, secondary, and post-secondary levels; expanding home visiting programs; improving the quality of teaching and promoting high-achieving inner-city schools; establishing effective programs that prepare disadvantaged students for college; and simplifying the maze of financial aid programs.In the area of employment, they suggest enhancing the current work support system and strengthening work requirements. Other work-related supports include providing more money for childcare; restructuring housing assistance; and permanently expanding the Child Tax Credit for low-wage workers. The authors also recommend policies that would encourage disadvantaged, young men to work more and contribute more to their families.Strengthening families is the book's third pillar of proposed opportunity policies, and consists of policies that encourage the formation of two-parent families. Pointing to research evidence that suggests a comparative lack of opportunities for children in single-parent families, the authors suggest that government should focus on reducing teenage pregnancies and non-marital births through public initiatives that would help foster a culture that encourages increased marriage rates. Such initiatives might also help individuals follow a life trajectory that includes completing one's education, working a stable, well-paying job, followed by marriage and children.So, how would the government pay for these policies, which the authors estimate would result in a net cost of about $20 billion annually? Scaling back and restructuring existing social programs is one way. They also suggest introducing a new intergenerational contract between the elderly and the non-elderly that would lead the country to invest more heavily in young people who could thereby make higher incomes and be better able to save for retirement.