The Law And Economics Of Child Support Payments [Hardcover]

William S. Comanor (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1843761211 | ISBN-13: 978-1843761211 | Publication Date: August 1, 2004

The delinquent payment of child support by non-custodial to custodial parents is a major problem throughout the United States. To many observers, the problem is one of 'deadbeat dads' - men who simply will not make the required payments. The solution has been to enforce payment by the imposition of increasingly stringent civil and criminal penalties. Despite these efforts, the percentage of single mothers receiving child support has changed very little over the past twenty-five years. The Law and Economics of Child Support Payments investigates why this is, and approaches the payment of child support as an economic problem. To understand the issues involved, leading lawyers and economists examine various facets of the child support system from a law and economics perspective. They consider the incentives faced by both custodial and non-custodial parents, and search for policy actions that are more incentive-compatible for all participants. The assumptions underlying current child support guidelines are discussed, as are the ways in which child support payments affect family structure, teenage delinquency and income disparities between parents. This comprehensive, provocative volume will be of considerable interest to policymakers, lawyers and parent advocacy groups, as well as to students of this timely issue.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'This urgently needed, groundbreaking book provides solid data that coincides with the real life stories I have been hearing for years from men and women nationwide regarding unfair child support laws and policies that have resulted in adverse effects on their children and families. I anticipate that this book will have a major positive impact on social policy and the general collective attitudes toward families in today's society. The information presented in this book must be read and understood by every policymaker to insure that child support policies are made just and fair so that all families can prosper.' - Dianna Thompson, National Family Justice Association, US"

About the Author

Edited by William S. Comanor, Professor of Economics, University of California, Santa Barbara and Professor of Health Services, University of California, Los Angeles. He served formerly as Chief Economist and Director of the Bureau of Economics at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Edward Elgar Pub (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843761211
• ISBN-13: 978-1843761211
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,603,426 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally - a serious academic text on child support, October 17, 2006

By 

Roger Gay "rogerfgay" (Haninge, Sweden) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Law And Economics Of Child Support Payments (Hardcover)

This is a book for people who are serious about child support law and economics; whether they practice family law, perform analyses in family economics, fiddle with family politics, or in any way wish to engage family issues at a serious academic level. If you're only buying one book on family policy this year - this is the one that I recommend. Nothing has changed family policy or the family as profoundly as child support reform. Everything you've been led to believe about the subject is wrong.

The analysis in Law and Economics of Child Support Payments starts with an honest question. The creation of an overwhelmingly powerful bureaucracy and many many billions of taxpayer dollars spent on enforcement has had no effect on compliance rates. Why? The experts assembled to address the question are not the usual collection of guideline consultants that clutter the literature in support of the current system (and more government consulting contracts).

An example is Arizona State University professor Sanford Braver. Dr. Braver performed the largest (federally funded) study of divorced fathers in history. His book, "Divorced Dads: Shattering the Myths," resulted from that study. Published in 1998, it remains one of the most powerful antidotes to the myth of the "deadbeat dad" created by child support politics and the collection industry. Another is Washington D.C. based attorney, Ronald K. Henry. To my knowledge, Mr. Henry first entered the debate with contributions to an amicus curiae brief in Fitzgerald v Fitzgerald, 566 A.2d 719 (DC 1989). The DC Court of Appeals found the DC guidelines unconstitutional because they conflicted with (traditional "for support of children") child support law written by the D.C. Council. Much of the detailed opinion by the court agrees with Mr. Henry's views and still today stands as a primer on the problem of using child support guidelines.

The myths surrounding the child support issue have had a profound effect on beliefs about the family. Family law has undergone fundamental changes as a result; actually effecting the definition of family and basic family rights. This book provides a broad treatment of the law and economics of child support; including underlying assumptions of common models, analysis of economic incentives, the impact of child support on standard of living, unintended consequences of child support policy, family relationships, and child delinquency.