Editor’s Note

This issue of Policy Currents is devoted to the topic of children and public policy.  Three groups of scholars have contributed articles on this very important topic.  Sally Cohen and Alice Sardell write about policymaking for children.  Their scholarship contributes to a growing body of knowledge about politics and policymaking for children and families.  Cathy Johnson, Thomas Lewis Gais, and Catherine Lawrence focus on the connection between welfare reform and childhood poverty.  They explore the question of what policy theories underlie welfare changes that have been adopted across the American states and the impacts of these changes on children.  Finally, Maureen Pirog, Tara Grieshop, and Brooks Elliot report on child support guidelines across the states.  They look at the patterns of variation in court-ordered payments by noncustodial parents and the relationship between these payments and relative generosity of welfare benefits to low-income children.

Hoping to establish a forum for political scientists interested in this area, Cohen and Sardell would like to start an APSA Related Group on Children and Family Policy at the 2003 annual meeting. Anyone interested in joining this group should contact Sally Cohen at sally.cohen@yale.edu or Alice Sardell at alsard@aol.com.