The Urban Institute, in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin La Follette School of Public Affairs, held the 2016 Paul Offner Lecture featuring three distinguished scholars: Ron Haskins and Isabel Sawhill of the Brookings Institution and C. Eugene Steuerle of the Urban Institute.

Scholar, state legislator, congressional advisor and educator, the late Paul Offner left a special legacy of applying solid, evidence-driven research to public policy solutions, especially for society’s disadvantaged.

Haskins, Sawhill, and Steuerle shared their recent work and their recommendations for the new administration on how evidence can be used to improve opportunities for children, especially the least advantaged, by encouraging and rewarding education, work, and family stability. They discussed policies and programs with strong evidence of effectiveness and programs that appear to be cost effective, as well as touching on some of the proposals getting strong attention in the presidential campaign, such as child tax credits, child care, and paid family leave. 

Speakers include

• Ron Haskins, senior fellow, Economic Studies, and codirector, Center on Children and Families, Brookings Institution
• Isabel Sawhill, senior fellow, Economic Studies, Brookings Institution
• C. Eugene Steuerle, Institute fellow, Urban Institute
• Nisha Patel, executive director, US Partnership on Mobility from Poverty, Urban Institute (moderator) 

Event Materials

• Agenda
• Speaker Biographies
• Paul Offner Lectures
• An agenda for reducing poverty and improving opportunity 
• Prioritizing Opportunity for All in the Federal Budget
  • ​Executive Summary
• Kids' Share 2016

For inquiries regarding this event, please contact [email protected].