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Rating: 
Summary: This book focuses a great deal of research on Fathers.
Review: Each chapter of this book is a separate study looking at child support enforcement and its impact on nonresident fathers. The authors believe the biggest impact of enforcement efforts falls on low income and poverty level fathers, therefore virtually all of what they study focuses on that group alone. Consequently, it would have been more appropriate to include "Low Income" in the book's title. Unfortunately, the majority of nonresident fathers are not in this population, as enforcement activities impact them as well. Understanding the impact on the bigger population would help policy makers improve overall enforcement activities. One area that I was especially disappointed about in this book is the fact that none of the authors address the foundation for child support enforcement, and that is the basis that child support orders are determined. Statistics and figure abound on what nonresident parents (usually fathers) "owe" in child support, yet it seems to be simply accepted as a given that the guidelines used in each state are fundamentally sound in their philosophy and economics. If, as many argue, the numbers are overstated through lack of consideration of the expenses of an involved nonresident parent's "parenting", the impact on them can be enormous, creating a roadblock to involvement in their child's life. This creates enormous conflict of its own, and certainly can't help but contribute to the problem of father absence. As the US Census has pointed out, when a nonresident parent is involved in their child's life, compliance with child support is approximately 90%. One could argue, which this book fails to do, that for enforcement to truly work, we should do all we can to foster dual parent involvement. This book provides an interesting look at poverty level fathers within this public policy arena. Its usefulness from a practical point of view however, is limited to only that population. Focusing change based on this material would be dangerous as the data is "incomplete".
Rating: 
Summary: A compilation of research papers on low income fathers.
Review: Each chapter of this book is a separate study looking at child support enforcement and its impact on nonresident fathers. The authors believe the biggest impact of enforcement efforts falls on low income and poverty level fathers, therefore virtually all of what they study focuses on that group alone. Consequently, it would have been more appropriate to include "Low Income" in the book's title. Unfortunately, the majority of nonresident fathers are not in this population, as enforcement activities impact them as well. Understanding the impact on the bigger population would help policy makers improve overall enforcement activities. One area that I was especially disappointed about in this book is the fact that none of the authors address the foundation for child support enforcement, and that is the basis that child support orders are determined. Statistics and figure abound on what nonresident parents (usually fathers) "owe" in child support, yet it seems to be simply accepted as a given that the guidelines used in each state are fundamentally sound in their philosophy and economics. If, as many argue, the numbers are overstated through lack of consideration of the expenses of an involved nonresident parent's "parenting", the impact on them can be enormous, creating a roadblock to involvement in their child's life. This creates enormous conflict of its own, and certainly can't help but contribute to the problem of father absence. As the US Census has pointed out, when a nonresident parent is involved in their child's life, compliance with child support is approximately 90%. One could argue, which this book fails to do, that for enforcement to truly work, we should do all we can to foster dual parent involvement. This book provides an interesting look at poverty level fathers within this public policy arena. Its usefulness from a practical point of view however, is limited to only that population. Focusing change based on this material would be dangerous as the data is "incomplete".
Rating:
Summary: A rehash of old views that misses the point.
Review: This book is a composite of papers written by social scientists and legal scholars prepared for a conference in 1995. Although revised to consider criticisms and suggestions from the conference, the chapters fall short in providing significant information regarding the impact of current child support enforcement activity, as much of the most significant new government mandates occurred after these works were written. Even though the majority of enforcement activity in this country involves non-welfare related cases, this book focuses almost exclusively on fathers at or below poverty. The title of the book should have been "Low Income Fathers Under Fire". Although the chapters are interesting, none touch on the fundamental issue dealing with the economic foundation for most state guidelines. It seems to be accepted as a "given" that state review committees have "sound" bases for their respective guidelines, rather than picking them apart to ensure what is said to be "owed" by fathers is indeed appropriate. For instance, an involved father not only is responsible for a formal child support obligation, he must also spend additional money for the child's time spent with him, to which little to no credit is considered. Although father access to children is given some review in the book, very little qualitative attention is given to the subject. This could be explained by the quote in the book that defies common sense, "Children may also benefit from spending more time with nonresident parents, although the evidence for this is mixed." Throughout the book, it is pointed out repeatedly that data is slim about nonresident fathers, yet somehow there is enough to justify this compilation. Its usefulness from a practical standpoint is minimal.
Rating:
Summary: A rehash of old views that misses the point.
Review: This book is a composite of papers written by social scientists and legal scholars prepared for a conference in 1995. Although revised to consider criticisms and suggestions from the conference, the chapters fall short in providing significant information regarding the impact of current child support enforcement activity, as much of the most significant new government mandates occurred after these works were written. Even though the majority of enforcement activity in this country involves non-welfare related cases, this book focuses almost exclusively on fathers at or below poverty. The title of the book should have been "Low Income Fathers Under Fire". Although the chapters are interesting, none touch on the fundamental issue dealing with the economic foundation for most state guidelines. It seems to be accepted as a "given" that state review committees have "sound" bases for their respective guidelines, rather than picking them apart to ensure what is said to be "owed" by fathers is indeed appropriate. For instance, an involved father not only is responsible for a formal child support obligation, he must also spend additional money for the child's time spent with him, to which little to no credit is considered. Although father access to children is given some review in the book, very little qualitative attention is given to the subject. This could be explained by the quote in the book that defies common sense, "Children may also benefit from spending more time with nonresident parents, although the evidence for this is mixed." Throughout the book, it is pointed out repeatedly that data is slim about nonresident fathers, yet somehow there is enough to justify this compilation. Its usefulness from a practical standpoint is minimal.
Rating: 
Summary: Two Decades of Failure
Review: This book is written by small, established clique with association to the Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty. Individually, each researcher has turned out years of credible research. Unfortunately, they have a reputation for deviating from credible research results when arguing policy to the public and when making a case for specific reforms. The major failures of the current child support system are largely attributable to this crowd, which from the 70s have promoted the application of old Soviet Russian "welfare policy" in the United States. Perhaps the most bizarre aspect of this history, is that Congress was so willing to implement the reforms, forcing states to replace traditional Constitutionally based mechanisms for dealing with family issues.I too, would like to rename the book. A proper title would be "Our Two Decades of Failure and the New Spin for the 21st Century: What We Want You to Believe Now". I agree with the previous reviewer that lack of focus on the effects of child support reform at higher income levels underlies a basic failure of the book to enter current discussion in a rational way. The "success" of the authors in promoting policy reform is largely concentrated in the fact that federal "welfare laws" and welfare bureaucracy have now been extended to all income levels. Simply ignoring the most damaging effects of these reforms doesn't make them go away.
Rating:
Summary: This book focuses a great deal of research on Fathers.
Review: This book, unlike most other books which blindly focus on independent aspects of poverty and well being, succeeds in bringing together a pool of information on Fathers. I found the writing articulate and the information at worst a honed compilation of all research on the topic, and at best an excellent resource for all in the field of population studies.
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