Supplemental Security Income: An Overview

[Excerpt] In 1974, the federal government established the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program to provide cash assistance to people who are disabled, aged, or both and who have low income and few assets. SSI replaced several state-run support programs that had been partially financed by the federal government. In fiscal year 2013, the program will make payments to more than 8 million people at a cost to the federal government of about $53 billion, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates. Currently, about 60 percent of SSI recipients are disabled adults (ages 18 to 64), about 15 percent are disabled children (under age 18), and about 25 percent are aged adults (age 65 or over) with or without disabilities. SSI recipients generally are eligible for health insurance through Medicaid, and many also participate in other income-security programs that provide federal support to low-income people. In coming years, CBO projects that as the economy improves and average Social Security benefits continue to increase, the number of SSI beneficiaries will decline slightly as a share of the population. In addition, SSI payments per recipient are linked to prices, which tend to rise more slowly than GDP per person. As a result of those two factors, CBO projects that total outlays for SSI will decline slightly relative to total output over the next decade, reaching one-quarter of one percent of GDP

Origins of the Human Genome Project

Dr. Cook-Deegan recounts some of the scientific and political history leading to controversy about the proper mix of private and public roles in pursuing genome research and bringing its fruits to bear, e.g., in preventing and curing disease

If You Build It, Will They Come?: Fiscal Federalism, Local Provision of Public Tourist Amenities, and the Vision Iowa Fund

The philosophy of fiscal federalism presumes that local communities will under- or over-provide public amenities in the presence of externalities.� We test this hypothesis using data from Vision Iowa, a state program which provided partial funding to communities to build tourist attractions.� We find a 1% increase in investment increased county taxable retail sales 0.9%.� The State’s return, from program-induced sales tax revenue, averaged 9.2% annually.� Local communities’ returns averaged 0.9% and we find a significant increase in surrounding areas’ sales.� This suggests that without state subsidies, communities would undersupply public amenities aimed at attracting visitors.fiscal federalism; local public goods; subsidy; externality; spillover; amenity; retail sales

Fiscal Decentralization in Kenya: The Constituency Development Fund and the Growth of Government

This paper explores the financial implications of fiscal decentralization policies on the central government's operating budget in Kenya. The paper evaluates how devolved funds under the constituency development fund (CDF) have been utilized to start healthcare capital projects (clinics) at the local level. The study finds that fiscal decentralization has promoted allocative efficiency and equity but at a cost of exporting tax burdens (operations and maintenance) to the central government emanating from capital projects implemented at the local level. The exported tax burdens have policy implications and call for reforms of the CDF program to reflect a benefit-expenditure structure.fiscal decentralization; budget;devolution; constituency development fund; health care; allocative efficiency

World Bank project-financed research on population, health, and nutrition

This report on World Bank project-financed research on population, health and nutrition (PHN) is based on a review of 109 staff appraisal reports for projects financed in fiscal years 1980-91 and on selected interviews with task managers. The report looks at only the simplest dimensions of project-financed research and examines research outcomes of only a few projects. Among conclusions tentatively reached: (1) more than 90 percent of PHN projects from fiscal years 1980-91 financed research. (2) Bank experience with project-financed research in the PHN sector has been extremely variable: quite successful in some countries and almost a total failure in others. Even so, some striking successes justify continued efforts to incorporate research into projects and to encourage use of that research to improve both national PHN policy and follow-on Bank financed projects. (3) Personalities make a difference, both among borrowers and within the Bank. Often successes are associated with a particular person within the government or the Bank who has taken a continuing personal interest in encouraging research. (4) Supervision is crucial to good results. Supervision must be frequent enough to keep the research component on time and of good quality. For quality research to be completed, it is important that those responsible for supervision attach a high priority to research even if it is not a large part of the project in terms of budget. (5) Research that leads to a project outcome - such as research needed to justify release of funds or for a follow-on project - is more likely to be undertaken and completed than is research with a more general objective. (6) In countries where the institutional capability exists, using a national institution to review research proposals and to administer research grants can be quite effective. Experience indicates that some sort of peer-group review produces better research. (7) There is probably room for more best-practices workshops where PHN staff can exchange experiences about successful design and supervision of project-financed research components. But usually it will be necessary to retain experienced consultants to help design substantial research components. (8) More systematic collection and dissemination of project-financed research is justified, given the considerable amounts of money and effort devoted to it.Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,ICT Policy and Strategies,Poverty Monitoring&Analysis,Scientific Research&Science Parks

Status of the profession

The number of astronomers has grown by about 40 percent over the past decade. The number of astronomers with jobs in industry, or with long-term, non-tenured, jobs has increased dramatically compared with traditional faculty positions. The increase in the number of astronomers and the declining share of the NSF budget going to astronomy has led to extreme difficulties in the NSF grant program and in support of the National Observatories. In 1989, direct NASA support of astronomers through the grants program exceeds that of NSF, although the total of the NSF grants program over decade far exceeds that of NASA. Access to major new telescopes will be important issue for the 1990s. US astronomers, who once had a monopoly on telescopes larger than 3 meters, will, by the year 2000, have access to just half of the world's optical telescope area

A Decision-Support Framework For Using Value Capture to Fund Public Transit: Lessons From Project-Specific Analyses, Research Report 11-14

Local and state governments provide 75 percent of transit funds in the United States. With all levels of governments under significant fiscal stress, any new transit funding mechanism is welcome. Value capture (VC) is one such mechanism. Based on the “benefits received” principle, VC involves the identification and capture of public infrastructure-led increase in land value. While the literature has extensively demonstrated the property-value impacts of transit investments and has empirically simulated the potential magnitude of VC revenues for financing transit facilities, very little research has examined the suitability of VC mechanisms for specific transit projects. This report aims to fill this research gap by examining five VC mechanisms in depth: tax-increment financing (TIF), special assessment districts (SADs), transit impact fees, joint developments, and air rights. The report is intended to assist practitioners in gauging the legal, financial, and administrative suitability of VC mechanisms for meeting project-specific funding requirements

Senior Thesis ST 2008-01

In the 1970s and 1980s the state of Alaska invested millions of dollars to develop a large-scale agricultural industry. The Delta Barley Project and the Point MacKenzie Dairy Project were created to show that large-scale agriculture was possible in Alaska. This study looks at the major events and policy decisions that occurred and determines how the outcome of the demonstration projects was affected. An extensive literature review was conducted, focusing on state documents; key persons were also interviewed. The projects did not accomplish their original goals for a number of economic and politic reasons. The positive aspects of development are that Alaska now has more land in private ownership, more infrastructure to support the industry, and a thriving agricultural community at Delta Junction