Journal of Economic Literature
Book Reviews
2026-08-28
Hilary W. Hoynes of U of CA, Davis, and National Bureau of Economic reviews “Public Policy and the Income Distribution” by Alan J. Auerbach, David Card, John M. Quigley,. The EconLit Abstract of the reviewed work begins “Eight papers, originally presented at a conference held in Berkeley in December 2003, analyze the complex interactions among demographics, poverty, the distribution of income, and public policy from a longer-run perspective, taking stock of our knowledge of trends and causes, and identifying key areas where positive economics can contribute further to our understanding of policy options. Papers discuss what the 1990s welfare reforms accomplished (Rebecca M. Blank); the take-up of social benefits (Janet Currie); government programs and social outcomes--a comparison of the United States with other rich nations (Timothy M. Smeeding); income and wealth concentration in a historical and international perspective (Emmanuel Saez); social security and the evolution of elderly poverty (Gary V. Engelhardt and Jonathan Gruber); the measurement and evolution of health inequality--evidence from the U.S. Medicare population (Jonathan Skinner and Weiping Zhou); the socioeconomic status of black males--the increasing importance of incarceration (Steven Raphael); and public health and mortality--what we can learn from the past (Dora L. Costa and Matthew E. Kahn). Auerbach is Robert D. Burch Professor of Economics and Law, Card is Class of 1950 Professor of Economics, and Quigley is I. Donald Terner Distinguished Professor and Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley…. Index.”