The Role of Public Policy in Family Policy

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Sally Kohn: I think most people understand that family is important, but they may not want to emphasize it in their policy discussions. She says some of the best charter schools are really good at picking parents, not so much picking students. Kohn: What's the role for public policy then? Is there a program government could activate and fund that would help the family?Kohn: Well, I don't think the government should step in. The idea of shotgun marriages and the idea of forcing stable two-parent families under the gun or whatever just doesn't work.

Economist and Nobel Laureate James Heckman of the University of Chicago talks about inequality and economic mobility with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Drawing on research on inequality in Denmark with Rasmus Landerso, Heckman argues that despite the efforts of the Danish welfare state to provide equal access to education, there is little difference in economic mobility between the United States and Denmark. The conversation includes a general discussion of economic mobility in the United States along with a critique of Chetty and others' work on the power of neighborhood to determine one's economic destiny.