PUBLICATIONS BY Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D.
Research
Commentary
Media Appearances
2007 Research
March 29, 2007
Outcome-Based Evaluation: Faith-Based Social Service Organizations and Stewardship
By Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D., Claudia Horn, Calvin W. Edwards, Karen M. Woods, and Collette Caprara
(Special Report #13)
Outcome-based evaluation is a way to measure organizational effectiveness that has special value for faith-based service organizations. Unlike the process-oriented “counts and amounts” reports that are typically generated by many traditional service providers, OBE provides a qualitative element: a description of the impact that services have had on the lives of their recipients.
2006 Research
December 18, 2006
Why Religion Matters Even More: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Backgrounder #1992)
A steadily growing body of evidence from the social sciences demonstrates that regular religious practice benefits individuals, families, and communities, and thus the nation as a whole. Policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels should therefore encourage an environment in which religious institutions and organizations can thrive and citizens can actively practice their faith.
2004 Research
September 29, 2004
The Transatlantic Divide on Marriage: Dutch Data and the U.S. Debate on Same-Sex Unions
By Patrick F. Fagan and Grace Smith
(WebMemo #577)
Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands may have sped marriage's decline there.
May 13, 2004
The Impact of Marriage and Divorce on Children
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Testimony #9999)
The Social Scientific Data on the Impact of Marriage and Divorce on Children before the Senate of the United States: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Subcommittee on Science, Technology, And Space.
March 09, 2004
Marriage: Still the Safest Place For Women and Children
By Robert E. Rector, Patrick F. Fagan, and Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1732)
Social science data clearly show that mothers and children are safest and thrive best in a married family. For example, the incidence of spousal, boyfriend, or domestic partner abuse is twice as high among mothers who have never been married as it is among mothers who have ever married (including those separated or divorced). Members of Congress should begin to implement policies to reduce the bias against marriage in welfare programs and to strengthen marriage as the primary institution for raising children.
2003 Research
June 16, 2003
'Why Congress Should Ignore Radical Feminist Opposition to Marriage'
By Patrick F. Fagan, Robert E. Rector, and Lauren R. Noyes
(Executive Summary #1662)
Why Congress Should Ignore Radical Feminist Opposition to Marriage
June 16, 2003
Why Congress Should Ignore Radical Feminist Opposition to Marriage
By Patrick F. Fagan, Robert E. Rector, and Lauren R. Noyes
(Backgrounder #1662)
Despite demonstrated evidence in every major social policy area of the need to rebuild a strong and healthy culture of marriage, President Bush's new marriage initiative is still opposed by the extreme wing of feminism.
June 16, 2003
'Why Congress Should Ignore Radical Feminist Opposition to Marriage'
By Patrick F. Fagan, Robert E. Rector, and Lauren R. Noyes
(Executive Summary #1662)
Despite demonstrated evidence in every major social policy area of the need to rebuild a strong and healthy culture of marriage, President Bush's new marriage initiative is still opposed by the extreme wing of feminism.
May 20, 2003
Increasing Marriage Would Dramatically Reduce Child Poverty
By Robert E. Rector, Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D., Patrick F. Fagan, and Lauren R. Noyes
(Center for Data Analysis Report #03-06)
In 2001, 1.35 million children were born outside marriage. This represents 33.5 percent of all children born in the United States in that year. Children raised by never-married mothers are seven times more likely to be poor when compared to children raised in intact married families.
February 06, 2003
bg1620: Executive summary, The Continuing Good News
By Robert Rector and Patrick F. Fagan
(Executive Summary #1620)
bg1620 Executive summary, The Continuing Good News About Welfare Reform
February 06, 2003
The Continuing Good News
By Robert Rector and Patrick F. Fagan
(Backgrounder #1620)
When Congress reauthorizes Temporary Assistance to Needy Families this year, it should ensure that all able-bodied welfare recipients are required to work or undertake other constructive activities as a condition of receiving aid.
2002 Research
October 25, 2002
Marriage and Welfare Reform
By Patrick F. Fagan, Robert W. Patterson, and Robert E. Rector
(Backgrounder #1606)
Marriage is good for everyone in society. Children born and reared in married families are much less likely to be impoverished or to live on welfare. Programs to counsel couples into healthy marriages and to improve the quality of their relationships are a critical part of welfare reform.
October 25, 2002
bg1606es: Marriage and Welfare Reform
By Patrick F. Fagan, Robert W. Patterson, and Robert E. Rector
(Executive Summary #1606)
bg1606es: Marriage and Welfare Reform: The Overwhelming Evidence that Marriage Education Works
June 13, 2002
Restoring a Culture of Marriage
By Patrick F. Fagan and Jennifer Garrett
(Backgrounder #1560)
It is time for Congress to implement policies and programs that would help such couples make a permanent commitment to each other and their children, and begin reaping the emotional, health, educational, social, and economic benefits of marriage.
April 15, 2002
The Effect of Marriage on Child Poverty
By Robert Rector, Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D., and Patrick F. Fagan
(Center for Data Analysis Report #02-04)
The lack of progress in reducing child poverty since 1965 can be explained in part by the erosion of marriage and the growth of poverty-prone single-parent families.
April 10, 2002
Marriage: The Safest Place for Women and Children
By Patrick F. Fagan and Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1535)
Social science data clearly show that mothers and children are safest and thrive best in a married family. It is time for the government to adopt policies that reflect this knowledge and rebuild, rather than undermine, the institution of marriage.
2001 Research
October 23, 2001
Perception Correction for Congress
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Backgrounder #1497)
Combined with prior evidence that marriage is the best environment within which to raise healthy, well-adjusted children, these findings should motivate Members of Congress and the Administration to encourage the states to be innovative with their TANF funds to encourage more parents of out-of-wedlock children to marry.
September 05, 2001
The Good News About Welfare Reform
By Robert E. Rector and Patrick F. Fagan
(Backgrounder #1468)
The 1996 welfare reform began necessary changes to the disastrous old welfare system. The rewards to non-work in the TANF program have been substantially reduced. But much more remains to be done.
September 05, 2001
BG1468es: The Good News About Welfare Reform
By Robert Rector and Patrick F. Fagan
(Executive Summary #1468es)
BG1468es: The Good News About Welfare Reform
August 02, 2001
CAPTA Successes and Failures at Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Testimony #9999)
We do know that rates of abuse for children are lowest in intact married families. We know that abuse is highest when mother cohabits with a boyfriend who is not the father of the children. This family arrangement is very frequent among the poor, thanks in no small part to the role of the federal government.
May 23, 2001
Understanding Differences in Black and White Child Poverty Rates
By Robert Rector, Kirk A. Johnson, and Patrick F. Fagan
(Center for Data Analysis Report #01-04)
Child poverty is a continuing American problem. This report examines the causes of child poverty and the factors that contribute to racial differences in child poverty.
May 22, 2001
The Federal and State Governments, Welfare and Marriage Issues
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Testimony #9999)
To help Congress in its deliberations for the last round of Welfare Reform The Heritage Foundation reviewed the literature on the effects of out of wedlock births.
March 26, 2001
BG1421ES: Encouraging Marriage and Discouraging Divorce
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Executive Summary #1421)
Encouraging Marriage and Discouraging Divorce
March 26, 2001
Encouraging Marriage and Discouraging Divorce
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Backgrounder #1421)
Together, public- and private-sector leadership can join with the clergy begin this process, increasing the incidence of marriage and strengthening families while reducing the social problems that accompany family breakdown and out-of-wedlock births.
March 26, 2001
Estimulando El Matrimonio y Desalentando El Divorcio
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Backgrounder #1421)
Estimulando El Matrimonio y Desalentando El Divorcio
February 05, 2001
BG1407es: How U.N. Conventions On Women's
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Executive Summary #1407es)
BG1407es: How U.N. Conventions On Women's and Children's Rights Undermine Family, Religion, and Sovereignty
February 05, 2001
How U.N. Conventions On Women's
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Backgrounder #1407)
How U.N. Conventions On Women's and Children's Rights Undermine Family, Religion, and Sovereignty
February 05, 2001
How U.N. Conventions On Women's and Children's Rights Undermine Family, Religion, and Sovereignty
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Backgrounder #1409quotes)
Quotations from CRC and CEDAW Committees of the United Nations.
2000 Research
June 05, 2000
The Effects of Divorce on America
By Patrick F. Fagan and Robert E. Rector
(Backgrounder #1373)
The foundation of society (marriage and the family) is growing weaker, with fewer adults entering into marriage, more adults leaving it in divorce, and more and more adults eschewing it altogether for single parenthood or cohabitation.
March 10, 2000
Congress's Role in Improving Juvenile Delinquency Data
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Executive Summary #1351)
Congress's Role in Improving Juvenile Delinquency Data
March 10, 2000
Congress's Role in Improving Juvenile Delinquency Data
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Backgrounder #1351)
Congress should collect data on the families of juvenile offenders in order to produce better public policy.
1999 Research
September 29, 1999
On the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Testimony #9999)
To understand the rise in domestic violence, it is necessary to see the bigger picture, the change in our national culture, the change in us as a people.
July 30, 1999
How Special Interests Would Kill Day Care Choice
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Executive Memorandum #615)
Congress is poised to take the first step toward creating a new federal bureaucracy to regulate the provision of day care in the United States.
June 11, 1999
BG1283ES: Broken Families Rob Children of Their Chances for Future Prosperity
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Executive Summary #1283)
BG1283ES: How Broken Families Rob Children of Their Chances for Future Prosperity
June 11, 1999
Broken Families Rob Children of Their Chances for Future Prosperity
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Backgrounder #1283)
Whether or not a child's parents are married and stay married has a massive affect on his or her future prosperity and that of the next generation.
1998 Research
July 15, 1998
After 33 Years and $30 Billion
By Nina H. Shokraii and Patrick F. Fagan
(Backgrounder #1202)
After 33 Years and $30 Billion, Time to Find Out if Head Start Produces Results
July 15, 1998
BG1202ES: After 33 Years and $30 Billion
By Nina H. Shokraii and Patrick F. Fagan
(Executive Summary #1202)
BG1202ES: After 33 Years and $30 Billion, Time to Find Out if Head Start Produces Results
January 14, 1998
The Clinton Day Care Proposal
By Robert E. Rector and Patrick F. Fagan
(Executive Memorandum #506)
The Clinton Day Care Proposal: An Attack on Parents and Children
1997 Research
May 29, 1997
How Clinton Is Killing A Family-Friendly Federal Policy
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Executive Memorandum #482)
President Bill Clinton has emphasized repeatedly his desire to improve the status of America's children. Recently, however, he quietly rescinded an executive order on the family issued by President Ronald Reagan that has protected families from Washington bureaucrats for almost a decade.
May 15, 1997
BG1115: The Child Abuse Crisis
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Backgrounder #1115)
The underlying dynamic of child abuse--the breakdown of marriage and the commitment to love--is spreading like a cancer in our society.
April 23, 1997
EM477: It Takes A Family
By Patrick F. Fagan and Dorothy B. Hanks
(Executive Memorandum #477)
The Adoption Promotion Act addresses many of the deeply ingrained problems of the current foster care system.
1996 Research
June 05, 1996
BG1084: How Welfare Harms Kids
By Robert E. Rector and Patrick F. Fagan
(Backgrounder #1084)
Welfare hurts children too.
May 06, 1996
BG1080: Promoting Adoption Reform
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Backgrounder #1080)
BG1080: Promoting Adoption Reform: Congress Can Give Children Another Chance
February 13, 1996
EM446: One Simple Way to Reduce AIDS
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Executive Memorandum #446)
EM446: One Simple Way to Reduce AIDS Among Children
January 25, 1996
BG1064: Why Religion Matters
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Backgrounder #1064)
The time is ripe for a deeper dialogue on the contribution of religion to the welfare of the nation.
1995 Research
October 12, 1995
Behind the Census Bureau's Good News on Poverty
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Executive Memorandum #431)
If the number of people in poverty is to go down, we need to look behind the Census Bureau data to understand what really has been happening and what lessons must be learned.
July 05, 1995
EM420: How Senator Shelby Would Require
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Executive Memorandum #420)
Senator Shelby wants changes in the prison system.
March 17, 1995
BG1026: The Real Root Causes of Violent Crime:
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Backgrounder #1026)
Policymakers at last are coming to recognize the connection between the breakdown of American families and various social problems.
2007 Commentary
February 15, 2007
Virgins Make the Best Valentines
By Patrick F. Fagan
When out-of-wedlock births are nearing 40 percent, when most children will reach age 18 without both of their parents together, celebrating St. Valentine’s Day has less and less the note of joy and romance in it.
2006 Commentary
December 29, 2006
The Power of Worship
By Patrick F. Fagan
Each year, government spends billions of dollars trying to address a host of social problems. Crime is but one example of the high costs of social breakdown. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that federal, state, and local governments spent $167 billion on police protection, judicial, legal and correctional activities in one year alone. Victims’ medical expenses, lost earnings, and assistance programs cost an estimated $105 billion more.
2004 Commentary
May 20, 2004
Changing a "Culture of Rejection"
By Patrick F. Fagan
The breakdown in marriage over the last 50 years carries a cost: America has evolved from being a culture of belonging to being a culture of rejection, and its children are paying the price.
2003 Commentary
October 08, 2003
Lords of the Ring
By Patrick F. Fagan
The idea of creating a government bureaucracy to decide who's worthy of parenthood sounds crazy, and it is. But there was a time when people did need a license to have children -- a marriage license.
2002 Commentary
August 28, 2002
Buyer Beware of CEDAW
By Patrick F. Fagan
Buyer Beware of CEDAW
August 06, 2002
Dollars for Daycare, Pennies for Marriage?
By Patrick Fagan and Jennifer Garrett
Dollars for Daycare, Pennies for Marriage?
June 13, 2002
The Best Father's Day Gift
By Patrick Fagan
The Best Father's Day Gift
May 13, 2002
U.N. Treaty Targets Motherhood
By Brett Schaefer and Patrick Fagan
U.N. Treaty Targets Motherhood
April 11, 2002
Marriage: Next Step for Welfare Reform
By Patrick Fagan
Marriage: Next Step for Welfare Reform
2001 Commentary
June 18, 2001
Time for Instruction in the Three W's
By Patrick Fagan
Time for Instruction in the Three W's
December 4, 2008
