CNSTAT Current Projects: Workshop on Surveying Low-Income Populations

In December 1999, the Committee's Panel on Data and Methods for Measuring the Effects of Changes in Social Welfare Programs convened a workshop on data collection on low income and welfare populations. The panel's overall charge is to review the program of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for collecting and analyzing data with which to evaluate the outcomes of recently-enacted changes in social welfare programs. The December workshop focused on such issues as collecting high quality survey data for low income populations which are often highly mobile and may not have telephone service; using administrative data to enhance survey data; collecting, matching and protecting confidentiality of administrative data; measuring outcomes relevant for welfare reform evaluations with both survey and administrative data; and models for state and federal data sharing partnerships. The audience for the workshop was researchers interested in welfare reform evaluations at both the state and federal level. The panel will issue a proceedings report from the workshop, and will also use the information gathered at the workshop in its final report. Both reports are expected by the end of 2000.

The workshop papers were prepared prior to the workshop, and then presented and distributed at the workshop. The papers below are as they were at the time of the workshop, but do note, that most of the papers are in draft, and may undergo substantial revision before final completion. Please do not cite these papers without contacting the Committee office first, 202-334-3097.

“Methods for Obtaining High Response Rates in Telephone Surveys" by David Cantor and Patricia Cunningham, Westat
"High Response Rates for Low Income Population in In-Person Surveys" by Charlene Weiss and Barbara A. Bailar, National Opinion Research Center.
"Paying Respondents for Survey Participation" by Eleanor Singer, University of Michigan, and Richard A. Kulka, Research Triangle Institute.
"Measurement Error in Surveys of the Low Income Population" by Nancy A. Mathiowetz, Joint Program in Survey Methodology.
"Modeling Eligibility for Safety Net Programs at the State Level" by Sheila Zedlewski, Donald Alderson, Linda Giannarelli, and Laura Wheaton.
"Matching and Cleaning Administrative Data" by Robert M. Goerge and Bong Joo Lee.
"The Right (Soft) Stuff: Qualitative Methods and the Study of Welfare Reform" by Katherine S. Newman, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
"Administrative Data on the Well-Being of Children On and Off Welfare" by Richard Barth and Eleanor Locklin, University of North Carolina; Stephanie Cuccaro-Alamin and Barbara Needell, University of California
Copy of Matt Stagner's (Discussant) overhead presentation.
"Access and Confidentiality Issues with Administrative Data" by Henry E. Brady, M. Anne Powell, Werner Schink.
"Designing Surveys Acknowledging Nonresponse" by Robert M. Groves, Mick P. Couper, The University of Michigan and Joint Program in Survey Methodology.
Copy of Michael Brick's (Discussant) overhead presentation.
"Measuring Employment Outcomes and Income with Administrative and Survey Data" by V. Joseph Hotz, UCLA; and John Karl Scholz, University of Wisconsin
Copy of Betsy Martin's (Discussant) overhead presentation.
Copy of William Winkler's (Discussant) overhead presentation