Adam Carasso

...According to the Urban Institute and New America Foundation report, federal spending on children's nutrition programs increased by a tenth of a percent from 2006 to 2007.

Other children's programs that have seen at least some increase in federal spending, the report notes, include school improvement (.4 percent), and foster care (.8 percent). Those in decline include Head Start (down 2.5 percent) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (down 2.8 percent)...LINK

Children are a declining priority in the federal budget -- a trend that shows no signs of stopping. In 2007, the federal government paid out $2.7 trillion through spending programs and disbursed roughly another $1 trillion through the tax code. Rapidly expanding entitlement programs -- Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security -- and the country's defense system consumed the largest shares of the budget, while spending on children remained essentially stagnant and did not keep up with growth in the economy.

Our… more

In an economically mobile market economy, individuals and families are able to raise their private incomes, wealth, and ability (sometimes referred to as human capital) over time and across generations. In the United States, many associate economic mobility with the pursuit of the American Dream. Education, work experience, and saving enhance the opportunity for upward economic mobility. To this end, many federal spending and tax expenditure or tax subsidy programs aim to enhance economic mobility. But exactly how much does the… more

Pensions for Everyone (McClatchy-Tribune) In a new discussion paper for the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, Adam Carasso of the New America Foundation and I estimate that accounts that collect 3 percent of payroll would provide 13.8 percent of final wages at retirement for every worker. Our paper, "Tax Considerations in a Universal Pension System," also shows how targeted tax subsidies could lead to even larger benefits for low- and moderate- income workers. ...

Moderate Graybeards Need a Top 10 Agenda (Roll Call) One possible model is the New America Foundation's proposed "progressive consumption tax," which would base taxes on the difference between income and savings, with rates rising with income. ...

Rising insecurity in the oil producing regions of the world along with rising carbon levels in the atmosphere are pushing Congress to update our nation’s energy policies. But far from providing a bold solution to our converging environmental, energy and security dilemmas, the bill that has come out of the Senate to gradually increase fuel efficiency standards relies on timid half-measures. Congress should instead consider a more effective and long-overdue step towards energy independence and environmental protection -- implementing a… more

The Foundation for Child Development Child Well-Being Index (CWI) provides a research-based look at the status of children in the United States over the last 30 years. Now, for the first time, the CWI examines the status of American children in relation to that of children in other countries. The CWI uses English-speaking democracies with strong market-based systems to provide a more meaningful “apples to apples” portrait of the relative well-being of American children. The study contrasts the well-being… more

Former Research Director, Fiscal Policy Program

Adam Carasso was Research Director for the Fiscal Policy Program at the New America Foundation until April 2008, when he left to join the House Budget Committee as Chief Economist.

Before joining New America, Mr. Carasso worked for the Urban Institute and the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, where he published extensively.… more