The Future of the SURVEY OF INCOME AND PROGRAM PARTICIPATION -- Copyright -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- Summary -- GOALS -- SURVEY DESIGN -- DATA COLLECTION AND PROCESSING -- DATA PRODUCTS AND THEIR USE -- METHODOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND EVALUATION -- MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT -- RECOMMENDATIONS -- Goals for SIPP -- Achieving SIPP's Goals -- Survey Design -- Data Collection and Processing -- Data Products and Their Use -- Methodological Research and Evaluation -- Management and Oversight -- 1 Introduction -- SIPP IN BRIEF -- SIPP TO -- Achievements -- Part-Year Poverty and Program Participation -- Multiple Program Participation -- Effect of Assets on Program Eligibility and Poverty -- Health Insurance Coverage -- Behavioral Dynamics -- Problems -- LOOKING TO THE FUTURE -- Roles for SIPP -- The Panel's Report -- 2 Goals for SIPP -- THE DEVELOPMENT OF SIPP AND ITS GOALS -- The Income Survey Development Program -- Early SIPP Goals -- Assessments of Early Goals -- VIEWS ABOUT SIPP'S GOALS -- The CNSTAT Report -- Conference on the Future of SIPP -- The Role of SIPP in Improving Income Data -- An Outside Perspective -- Census Bureau Perspective -- RECOMMENDATION -- 3 Achieving SIPP's Goals -- IMPROVING DATA ON INCOME AND OTHER ECONOMIC RESOURCES -- Income and Related Measures -- Measures Relevant to Programs -- Measures of Taxes and After-Tax Income -- Valuation of In-Kind Benefits -- Static and Dynamic Measures Related to Family Characteristics -- New Forms of Income and Other Economic Resources -- Recommendation -- Assets and Asset Income -- Other Resources -- IMPROVING DATA ON PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY AND PARTICIPATION -- Improved Eligibility Measures -- Spell Information -- Emerging Programs and Program Changes -- Recommendation -- TOPICAL MODULES -- SIPP AND THE MARCH CPS -- SIPP AND ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS -- 4 Survey Design.

MAJOR DESIGN ELEMENTS AND ALTERNATIVES -- Current SIPP Design -- User Views -- Selected Design Alternatives -- Attrition -- Time-in-Sample Effects -- Censoring -- Recall Error and Seam Effects -- Overlapping Panels -- Sample Size -- Rotation Groups -- Recommendations -- OVERSAMPLING IN SIPP -- Using the 1990 Census for Oversampling in SIPP -- Screening as Another Method of Oversampling -- Increasing Sample Size by Extending Panel Length -- Multiple-Frame Samples -- FOLLOWING RULES -- 5 Data Collection and Processing -- CURRENT OPERATIONS -- Interviewing -- Regional Office Operations -- Home Office Operations -- COMPUTER-ASSISTED INTERVIEWING -- Potential Improvements for SIPP -- Costs -- A CAPI System for SIPP -- Needed Features -- Current Census Bureau Software -- DATABASE MANAGEMENT -- Needed Database Management Capabilities for SIPP -- Integration of CAPI and Database Management -- INVESTING IN THE DATA PROCESSING STAFF -- TRANSITION TO A CAPI/DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR SIPP -- 6 Data Products and Their Use -- PUBLICATIONS -- A Checkered History -- Reports on Income and Programs -- Descriptive Reports -- Research Reports -- Reports on Demographic and Employment Transitions -- Recommendations -- MEASUREMENT ISSUES FOR CORE STATISTICS -- Policy Relevance -- Units of Analysis -- Contextual Variables -- Equivalence Scales -- Analysis of Spells -- Estimating Spell Duration -- Defining a Spell -- Treating Missing Data -- Summary -- MICRODATA PRODUCTS -- Available Products -- Priorities for Improvements -- Timing -- Kinds of Files -- Content and Coding -- Delivery Media -- Recommendation -- DOCUMENTATION AND SERVICES FOR USERS -- Documentation and Related Services to Date -- Microdata Documentation -- Documentation for Printed Reports -- Other User Services -- Recommendation -- 7 Methodological Research and Evaluation -- RESEARCH TO DATE -- Topics.

Methods and Results -- REDESIGN OF SIPP -- Questionnaire Content -- Other Aspects of the Redesign -- Estimation and Data Use -- Weighting and Imputation -- Population Undercoverage -- Evaluation of the Redesign -- Quick-Response Capability -- Recommendation -- CONTINUOUS ERROR MONITORING -- COGNITIVE RESEARCH -- Results -- Alternative Questionnaires and Interviewing Procedures -- Looking to the Future -- 8 Management and Oversight -- MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE -- Description -- Assessment -- Recommendation: A Different Approach -- OVERSIGHT -- Outside Input: Past Experience -- Federal Agency Users -- Academic Researchers -- Survey Methodologists -- Experts in Data Access and Use of Microdata Products -- Other Sources of Advice -- Observations and Directions for the Future -- Advice on Goals, Content, and Basic Design -- Advice on Technical Issues -- Recommendation -- References -- Appendix A Use of SIPP for Research and Policy Analysis -- Appendix B Conference on the Future of SIPP: Topics and Participants -- Appendix C Biographical Sketches of Panel Members and Staff -- Index.