Do Federal Social Programs Work? - Hardcover

David B. Muhlhausen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1440828032 ISBN 13: 9781440828034

Publisher: Praeger, 2013

Synopsis

Addressing an issue of burning interest to every taxpayer, a Heritage Foundation scholar brings objective analysis to bear as he responds to the important ― and provocative ― question posed by his book's title.
Of course, the answer to that question will also help determine whether the American public should fear budget cuts to federal social programs. Readers, says author David B. Muhlhausen, can rest easy. As his book decisively demonstrates, scientifically rigorous national studies almost unanimously find that the federal government fails to solve social problems. To prove his point, Muhlhausen reports on large-scale evaluations of social programs for children, families, and workers, some advocated by Democrats, some by Republicans. But it isn't just the results that matter. It's the lesson to readers on how Americans can ― and should ― accurately assess government programs that cost hundreds of billions of dollars each year.

At the book's core is an insistence that we move beyond anecdotal reasoning and often-partisan opinion to measure the effectiveness of social programs using objective analysis and scientific methods. At the very least, the results of such analysis will, like this book, provide a sound basis for much-needed public debate.

About this title

About the Author

David B. Muhlhausen, PhD, is Research Fellow in Empirical Policy Analysis at the Heritage Foundation, a think tank in Washington, DC.

Edition details

• Publisher: Praeger
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1440828032
• ISBN 13: 9781440828034
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 416