The Economic Impact of Child Support Reform on the Poverty Status of Custodial and Noncustodial Families

One serious shortcoming of most research on the economic impact of various child support reform regimes is that the focus has been almost exclusively on thepotentialfor alleviating the poverty of custodialfamilies, while the impact on the economic status of absent fathers has been virtually ignored. This study addresses that issue with the use of data from the Michigan Panel Study of Income Dynamics to examine the impact of one reform proposal on the economic status of both parents and their children. The analysis indicates that, compared to the current child support system, this proposed alternative would reduce poverty for custodial families but would increase poverty for noncustodial families.