The social safety net as an investment in children
Join us for the Department of Social Policy’s Annual Lecture at which Hilary Hoynes will explore the concept of viewing the social safety net as a long-term investment in children.
Traditionally, economic research has emphasised the incentive effects of tax credits and transfer programs, often neglecting their potential benefits, particularly for children. Hoynes will review a growing body of evidence showing that childhood access to programs like food stamps, the EITC, and Medicaid leads to significant improvements in health, education, earnings, and reduced criminal justice involvement in adulthood. Using cost-benefit analyses like the Marginal Value of Public Funds (MVPF), Hoynes argues these programs often pay for themselves over time. She concludes that understanding these long-term benefits is crucial to shaping effective policy and reimagining the safety net as a strategic societal investment.
Meet our speaker and chair
Hilary Hoynes (@HilaryHoynes) is Chancellor’s Professor of Economics and Public Policy at University of California Berkeley. Hilary Hoynes is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Art and Sciences, and the National Academy of Social Insurance; and is an elected Fellow of the Society of Labor Economics. She is the recipient of the Daniel M. Holland Medal from the National Tax Association and the Carolyn Shaw Bell Award from the American Economic Association.
Coretta Phillips is Professor of Criminology and Social Policy. She joined the Department of Social Policy in 2001, and her research interests lie in the field of race, ethnicity, crime, criminal justice and social policy. Since 2022, her major research efforts have focused on a multi-disciplinary ESRC project providing the first systematic, comprehensive and historically grounded account of the crime and criminal justice experiences of Gypsies and Travellers in England since the 1960s.
More about this event
The Department of Social Policy (@LSESocialPolicy) provides top quality international and multidisciplinary research and teaching on social and public policy challenges facing countries across the world. From its foundation in 1912 it has carried out cutting edge research on core social problems, and helped to develop policy solutions.
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This event is part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2025, taking place from 18 October to 8 November with events across the UK.
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