This analysis finds that block grants (characterized by capped amounts of federal funding to states and other entities paired with expansive flexibility for how the funds are spent) are fundamentally ill-equipped to support basic living standards compared to other structures, especially those that meaningfully guarantee access to adequate benefits or services. Specifically, block grants struggle to respond to need, can be less accountable to program goals and to the people who participate in the program, and can exacerbate inequities–especially racial inequities.
Archive: Brief
Unworkable & Unwise: Conditioning Access to Programs that Ensure a Basic Foundation for Families on Work Requirements
This working paper outlines the ramifications of taking away Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and housing assistance from those who do not document meeting new work and community engagement requirements. The paper underscores how proposals that take away basic assistance from people who don’t meet work requirements are ill-informed, ineffective, inefficient, and inequitable, while alternative policies would produce far better outcomes.
Why the Census Matters for Rural America: Defining, Understanding, & Investing in Rural Communities
Census data help determine which areas are considered rural, help us understand the characteristics of rural residents, and are used to allocate funding for programs that serve rural America. This brief, produced in partnership with The Census Project, explores some of the ways that the 2020 Census will be important for people in rural areas.
Counting Rural America: A Guide to 2020 Census Operations
This brief describes the operations that will be used to count people in rural areas. An accurate count of all rural residents is important for ensuring that rural Americans have access to the resources their communities need to thrive.
Counting People Experiencing Homelessness: A Guide to 2020 Census Operations
This issue brief provides an overview of how people experiencing homelessness will be counted in the 2020 Census. If this population is not counted accurately, the result may be unequal political representation and unequal access to vital public and private resources for people experiencing homelessness and their communities.
Why a Fair and Accurate Census Matters to Thriving Private and Public Sectors
Both the 2020 Census and the American Community Survey (ACS) face fiscal, operational, and policy threats that could jeopardize a fair and accurate count and weaken the data that shape thriving public and private sectors. This resource explains the vital roles the 2020 Census and ACS play in the health care, education, housing, local government, transportation, and manufacturing sectors and the steps stakeholders can take to protect the surveys.
2018 Census End-to-End Test: Importance & Risks
This issue brief provides an overview of what observers and stakeholders should expect from the 2018 End-to-End (E2E) Census Test, often called the “dress rehearsal.” As the last, most comprehensive test before 2020 Census operations begin, the E2E Census Test is fundamental to the 2020 Census’ goal: “to count everyone once, only once and in the right place.”
Working to Reduce Poverty: A National Subsidized Employment Proposal
Subsidized employment programs that increase labor supply and demand are a proven, underutilized strategy for reducing poverty in the short and long term. This article proposes two new separate but harmonized federal funding streams for subsidized employment.
Lessons Learned from 40 Years of Subsidized Employment Programs: A Framework, Review of Models, and Recommendations for Helping Disadvantaged Workers
Subsidized employment is a promising strategy for boosting incomes and improving labor market outcomes and well-being, especially for disadvantaged workers. This report represents findings from an extensive review of evaluated or promising subsidized employment programs and models spanning four decades that target populations with serious or multiple barriers to employment in the United States.