Background
Blank, Rebecca Margaret was born on September 19, 1955 in Columbia, Missouri, United States. Daughter of Oscar Vel and Vernie (Backhaus) Blank.
( As Americans experiment with dismantling the nation's w...)
As Americans experiment with dismantling the nation's welfare system, clichés and slogans proliferate, ranging from charges that the poor are simply lazy to claims that existing antipoverty programs have failed completely. In this impeccably researched book, Rebecca Blank provides the definitive antidote to the scapegoating, guesswork, and outright misinformation of today's welfare debates. Demonstrating that government aid has been far more effective than most people think, she also explains that even private support for the poor depends extensively on public funds. It takes a nation to fight a problem as pervasive and subtle as modern poverty, and this book argues that we should continue to implement a mix of private and public programs. Federal, state, and local assistance should go hand in hand with private efforts at community development and personal empowerment and change. The first part of the book investigates the changing nature of poverty in America. Poverty is harder to combat now than in the past, both because of the changing demographics of who is poor as well as the major deterioration in earnings among less-skilled workers. The second part of the book delves into policies designed to reduce poverty, presenting evidence that many though not all programs have done exactly what they set out to do. The final chapters provide an excellent review of recent policy changes and make workable suggestions for how to improve public assistance programs to assure a safety net, while still encouraging poor adults to find employment and support their families.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691004013/?tag=2022091-20
economist federal agency administrator
Blank, Rebecca Margaret was born on September 19, 1955 in Columbia, Missouri, United States. Daughter of Oscar Vel and Vernie (Backhaus) Blank.
Bachelor of Science, University of Minnesota, 1976; Doctor of Philosophy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1983.
Consultant Data Resources, Inc., Chicago, 1976-1979. Assistant professor economics Princeton University, 1983-1989. Associate professor School Education & Social Policy Northwestern University, Chicago, 1989—1993, research faculty Center Urban Affairs & Policy Research, 1989—1999, associate professor economics, 1989-1994, professor, 1994-1999, director Joint Center for Poverty Research, 1996—1997.
Senior staff economist Council Economic Advisors, Executive Office of the President, Washington, 1989-1990, member, 1998-1999. Dean, Henry Carter Adams professor Gerald R. Ford School Public Policy, University Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1999—2007. Co-director National Poverty Research Center, University Michigan, 2002—2008.
Under secretary for economic affairs United States Department Commerce, Washington, since 2009. Co-dir Northwestern/U. Chicago Interdisciplinary Training Program in Poverty, Race & Underclass Issues, 1991—1996. Visiting fellow Brookings Institution, 2007—2008, Robert V. Kerr. senior fellow, 2008—2009.
( As Americans experiment with dismantling the nation's w...)
Member American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Bureau Economic Research, American Economics Association, Association of Public Policy Analysis and Management, Industrial Relations Research Association, Fellow Society Labor Excercises, American Association Political Social Sciences.
Married Johannes Kuttner, 1994. 1 child, Emily.