June 08, 2006
Heather Boushey participated in a roundtable discussion at the Brookings Institution on the Census Bureau’s plan to eliminate the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). The roundtable began with David Johnson (Chief, Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division, Census Bureau) explaining the Census’ plan to replace the SIPP with a new survey: the Dynamics of Economic Well-Being (DEWB). Heather, along with Don Oellerich, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Dept. of Health and Human Services; and Howard Iams, Office of Policy, Social Security Administration, provided critiqued response to the plan. Heather pointed out that while the SIPP may have its problems (with nonreponse rates, etc.), by eliminating it as early as September 2006, researchers and social scientists will lost up to six years of valuable data on the participation rates of government social welfare programs that is necessary to measure the effectiveness of these vital programs. The event provided an essential forum for researchers and Census staffers to debate the plan. Click here to read more about the background of the proposed SIPP elimination and for CEPR’s efforts to save the SIPP.
