“Well-run social programs do not subsidize demand in markets where supply is fixed, since that just leads to higher prices. We should seek to target the Section 8 voucher program more effectively, not universalize it. Washington should give new vouchers primarily to families with young children. Benefits should be time-limited so that, as the children age, the vouchers can be reallocated to other families. The program should encourage mobility to neighborhoods that turn poor children into better-off adults. Above all, we should combine the voucher program with a commitment to freeing our metropolitan areas from regulatory straightjackets.”
