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Policy

Family

The foundation of a successful society lies within the institution of the family. We have an obligation to protect the integrity and autonomy of the family, with parents being the rightful leaders of the institution. By implementing sound, principled family policy, we protect every facet of our American way of life. With united families, we put our next generation in the best position to succeed by ensuring that they have the support and liberty to achieve the American dream.

A nation cannot stand without a unified people. That is why protecting the institution of the family is of utmost importance. As the individuals who know their children best, parents should know that the law serves to defend and protect their right to lead their family independent of undue government influence.

Family

The foundation of a successful society lies within the institution of the family. We have an obligation to protect the integrity and autonomy of the family, with parents being the rightful leaders of the institution. By implementing sound, principled family policy, we protect every facet of our American way of life. With united families, we put our next generation in the best position to succeed by ensuring that they have the support and liberty to achieve the American dream.

A nation cannot stand without a unified people. That is why protecting the institution of the family is of utmost importance. As the individuals who know their children best, parents should know that the law serves to defend and protect their right to lead their family independent of undue government influence.

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Melissa Kearney, author of The Two-Parent Privilege, explains how family structure is the single greatest determinant of a child's success and should be the focus of public policy beyond other options that just treat downstream symptoms.
YouTube Video UExQb0RWZDJ5SWdBWjNLMkV2bGRyUDdZcExycW9BaUxEVi5DNzE1RjZEMUZCMjA0RDBB

The single greatest determinant for kids

Melissa Kearney, author of The Two-Parent Privilege, references studies that show two-parent, married households greatly aid kids in major life outcomes.
YouTube Video UExQb0RWZDJ5SWdBWjNLMkV2bGRyUDdZcExycW9BaUxEVi45NzUwQkI1M0UxNThBMkU0

The (not-so) secret to success

Melissa Kearney, author of The Two-Parent Privilege, explains that children on average experience better life outcomes when raised in a married, two-parent household.
YouTube Video UExQb0RWZDJ5SWdBWjNLMkV2bGRyUDdZcExycW9BaUxEVi4zRjM0MkVCRTg0MkYyQTM0

Kids flourish with married parents

Most policy debates about upward mobility cover things like education, workforce programs, or tax policy. Too often, they ignore what's actually the most important variable that impacts outcomes for the next generation: family. On this episode, Nic Dunn sits down with Melissa Kearney to discuss her new book, _The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind._ In the discussion she profiles the evidence showing that children who grow up in married two-parent households have better outcomes. She also talks about how marriage rates have dropped significantly and unequally across different groups of Americans in recent years. Kearney is a professor of economics at the University of Maryland and a nonresident Senior Fellow at Brookings. Show notes: Amazon.com: The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind - Kearney, Melissa https://www.amazon.com/Two-Parent-Privilege-Americans-Stopped-Getting/dp/0226817784 Kearney, Melissa | ECON l Department of Economics l University of Maryland (umd.edu) https://econ.umd.edu/facultyprofile/kearney/melissa Policy | Family - Sutherland Institute https://sutherlandinstitute.org/policy-family/
YouTube Video UExQb0RWZDJ5SWdBWjNLMkV2bGRyUDdZcExycW9BaUxEVi5GM0Q3M0MzMzY5NTJFNTdE

The Two-Parent Privilege, with Melissa Kearney

Tim Carney, senior fellow at @AEI, shares a portion of his new book, Family Unfriendly, to show how unhealthy outlooks on kids' sports and specialized extracurricular activities can unintentionally hurt family time. Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Raising Kids Much Harder Than It Needs to Be – https://a.co/d/dbOtyMd
YouTube Video UExQb0RWZDJ5SWdBWjNLMkV2bGRyUDdZcExycW9BaUxEVi45RTgxNDRBMzUwRjQ0MDhC

The 'travel team trap' and unhealthy family dynamics

Is it harder to raise kids today than it was in years or decades past? For many current or prospective parents, this question may often be top of mind as they navigate decisions about marriage and family. Tim Carney joins host Nic Dunn on this week's Defending Ideas episode to discuss his new book: Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Raising Kids Much Harder Than It Needs to Be. Tim is a senior fellow at @AEI and a senior columnist for the @washingtonexaminer. He argues that aspects of modern culture have made raising a family unnecessarily harder, and he points to cultural and policy solutions that can fix this. Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Raising Kids Much Harder Than It Needs to Be: Carney, Timothy P https://www.amazon.com/Family-Unfriendly-Culture-Raising-Harder/dp/006323646X Timothy P. Carney | American Enterprise Institute - AEI https://www.aei.org/profile/timothy-p-carney/ How family policy debates sometimes ignore the family itself - Sutherland Institute https://sutherlandinstitute.org/how-family-policy-debates-sometimes-ignore-the-family-itself/ Family relationships are an antidote to America's loneliness epidemic - Sutherland Institute https://sutherlandinstitute.org/family-relationships-are-an-antidote-to-americas-loneliness-epidemic/ Can this one civic institution save civilization? Brad Wilcox on his new book: Get Married - Sutherland Institute https://sutherlandinstitute.org/can-this-one-civic-institution-save-civilization-brad-wilcox-on-his-new-book-get-married/ Watch: Gov. Cox calls on Utahns to work together on quality of life issues in his 2022 State of the State address | Governor Spencer J. Cox https://governor.utah.gov/2022/01/20/watch-live-gov-cox-gives-2022-state-of-the-state-address/
YouTube Video UExQb0RWZDJ5SWdBWjNLMkV2bGRyUDdZcExycW9BaUxEVi5ENDU4Q0M4RDExNzM1Mjcy

Is America more "Family Unfriendly" today? With Tim Carney

With Utah's 2024 legislative session now in the rearview mirror, what actually passed, and will it benefit Utahns? Sutherland Institute was involved with legislation impacting issues including religious freedom, family policy, education and elections. On this episode, Nic Dunn sits down with Sutherland's policy experts to profile these issues and discuss the policy impacts of what passed and what failed. Interview Guests: Stan Rasmussen, VP of Government Affairs https://sutherlandinstitute.org/stan-rasmussen/ Christine Cooke Fairbanks, Education Policy Fellow https://sutherlandinstitute.org/christine-cooke-fairbanks/ Bill Duncan, Constitutional Law and Religious Freedom Fellow https://sutherlandinstitute.org/william-c-duncan/ Derek Monson, Chief Growth Officer https://sutherlandinstitute.org/derek-monson/ Show notes: Small steps to big wins – 5 legislative victories that will benefit Utahns - Sutherland Institute https://sutherlandinstitute.org/small-steps-to-big-wins-5-legislative-victories-that-will-benefit-utahns/ Publications | 2024 Voter Priorities - Sutherland Institute https://sutherlandinstitute.org/publications/publications-2024-voter-priorities/
YouTube Video UExQb0RWZDJ5SWdBWjNLMkV2bGRyUDdZcExycW9BaUxEVi4yMDhBMkNBNjRDMjQxQTg1

Legislative wins for religious freedom, family policy and more in the 2024 session

Public discussions of "the good life" usually center on things like a quality job, decent pay and other benefits that are primarily material. But what if – as a society – we're missing the things that truly impact happiness and human flourishing? Even when we discuss what's been described as America's "loneliness epidemic," too often the importance of human connection and strong families get left out. Guest Dr. Jenet Erickson joins host Nic Dunn to show why human connection through meaningful relationships – like those within a family unit – are generally much more important for a flourishing life than the things that usually get measured and publicly discussed. They discuss how to restore these principles to the center of the public debates about our biggest societal challenges. Erickson is a family fellow at the BYU Wheatley Institute, a senior fellow for the Institute for Family Studies, and a co-author of “The Utah Family Miracle: Five Policy Ideas to Keep Utah Families Strong and Stable,” a report issued jointly between Sutherland Institute and the Institute for Family Studies. Show notes: • Jenet Jacob Erickson – Wheatley Institute https://wheatley.byu.edu/directory/jenet-jacob-erickson • America has a loneliness epidemic. Here are 6 steps to address it – NPR https://www.npr.org/2023/05/02/1173418268/loneliness-connection-mental-health-dementia-surgeon-general • Publications | Utah Family Miracle – Sutherland Institute https://sutherlandinstitute.org/publications/publications-utah-family-miracle/ • Policy | Success Sequence – Sutherland Institute https://sutherlandinstitute.org/success/
YouTube Video UExQb0RWZDJ5SWdBWjNLMkV2bGRyUDdZcExycW9BaUxEVi41MjE1MkI0OTQ2QzJGNzNG

Family relationships are an antidote to America's loneliness epidemic

Nic Dunn, VP of strategy and communications for Sutherland Institute, was interviewed by KMTI MidUtah Radio to discuss an episode of Defending Ideas and policy on strengthening relationships between parents and children.
YouTube Video UExQb0RWZDJ5SWdBWjNLMkV2bGRyUDdZcExycW9BaUxEVi41NkI0NEY2RDEwNTU3Q0M2

Sutherland Institute on KMTI: Strengthening family relationships and family-friendly policy

Melissa Kearney, author of The Two-Parent Privilege, explains how family structure is the single greatest determinant of a child's success and should be the focus of public policy beyond other options that just treat downstream symptoms.
YouTube Video UExQb0RWZDJ5SWdBWjNLMkV2bGRyUDdZcExycW9BaUxEVi5DNzE1RjZEMUZCMjA0RDBB

The single greatest determinant for kids

Melissa Kearney, author of The Two-Parent Privilege, references studies that show two-parent, married households greatly aid kids in major life outcomes.
YouTube Video UExQb0RWZDJ5SWdBWjNLMkV2bGRyUDdZcExycW9BaUxEVi45NzUwQkI1M0UxNThBMkU0

The (not-so) secret to success

Melissa Kearney, author of The Two-Parent Privilege, explains that children on average experience better life outcomes when raised in a married, two-parent household.
YouTube Video UExQb0RWZDJ5SWdBWjNLMkV2bGRyUDdZcExycW9BaUxEVi4zRjM0MkVCRTg0MkYyQTM0

Kids flourish with married parents

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