Choosing the right formula : initial report / Panel on Formula Allocations, Committee on National Statistics, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council ; Thomas B. Jabine, Thomas A. Louis, and Allen L. Schirm, editors.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Jabine, Thomas B.

Louis, Thomas A., 1944-

Schirm, Allen L.

National Research Council (U.S.). Panel on Formula Allocations.

Series:

Compass series (Washington, D.C.)

The compass series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Fiscal policy--United States.

Fiscal policy.

Government spending policy--United States.

Government spending policy.

Finance, Public--United States.

Finance, Public.

United States--Appropriations and expenditures.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xv, 86 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : National Academy Press, c2001.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The workshop was a direct outgrowth of a previous study by the CNSTAT Panel on Estimates of Poverty for Small Geographic Areas. That panel, established under a 1994 act of Congress, began its work with a very specific mission: to evaluate the suitability of the U.S. Census Bureau's small-area estimates of poor school-age children for use in the allocation of funds to counties and school districts under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. In carrying out their assignment, panel members came to realize that the properties of data sources and statistical procedures used to produce formula estimates, interacting with formula features such as thresholds and hold-harmless provisions, can produce consequences that may not have been anticipated or intended. It also became evident that there is a trade-off between the goals of providing a reasonable amount of stability in funding from one year to the next and redirecting funds to different jurisdictions as true needs change. In one instance, for example, the annual appropriation included a 100 percent hold-harmless provision, ensuring that no recipient would receive less than the year before. However, there was no increase in the total appropriation, with the result that new estimates showing changes in the distribution of program needs across areas had no effect on the allocations. Choosing the Right Formula provides an account of the presentations and discussions at the workshop. The first three chapters cover the overview, case studies, and methodological sessions, respectively. Chapter 4 summarizes the issues discussed in the roundtable and concluding sessions, with emphasis on the identification of questions that might be addressed in a panel study.

Contents:

Cover Front Matter Dedication Acknowledgments Contents Foreword PART I Workshop Report 1 Formula Allocation Processes: An Overview 2 Case Studies 3 Effects on Formula Outputs of Errors in Formula Inputs 4 Roundtable and Concluding Sessions PART II Panel Report 5 Themes and Issues 6 Anticipated Panel Activities References and Bibliography Appendix A Workshop Agenda and Participants Appendix B Biographical Sketches of Panel Members and Staff

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 70-73).

ISBN:

0-309-17054-0

0-309-50000-1

OCLC:

923256491