PRIVATE CRISIS, PUBLIC COST

Policy makers striving to cut public spending need to understand the causes and consequences of teenage childbearing, say the authors of "Private Crisis, Public Cost." The nation's major welfare program, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), distributed more than half its payments to women who were teenagers when their first child was born. "Private Crisis, Public Cost" investigates the policy opportunities for reducing welfare costs in this substantial sector of the dependent population. The authors demonstrate that intervention is easier and less costly the earlier it occurs in the decision making process, and the closer it occurs to the individuals involved. Authors' recommendations outline family, community, and government actions to stem the private crisis and public cost of teenage childbearing.