Alimony and public income support: fifteen countries.

amounts set aside to cover hablhtles from future clamls payments) as & percentage of prenuums earned would, no doubt,, show 8 higher figure for 19’75 In 1074, this ratlo was 72 percent, 19 percentage pomts higher than the rate based on premiums wntten Correspondmg loss ratios for the Stnte-operated msurance funds have alwnys been hvgher than those for private cnrr~rs The ratlo of losses pald to pramurns xi-rltten for this group was 77 percent m 1975 rJnllke the pattern for private earners, the figures for State funds mdlcate a notable rise m the loss ratlo m each of the past fe\\ years from the wpercent level of 1972 Comper~sons betneen prwnte cnrr~rs and State funds should take mto account the premmm mcome returmd to employers as dwldends but not provided form the reported data, pnrtlculnrly \F,th respect to prlvnte cwr,ers Avndable data mdlcate that dw,de,nds, when related to total prem,um payment,s for both dwdends and nondwldend-pnymp compnmes, genernlly average 4-R percent t,he mstltut’on responsible for msmtammng farmly mcome through pubhc assistance programs, par-l titularly R hen dependent chddren are Involved When nhmony payments are not properly made, the social uelfare 1nst1tut,10n often steps 1n to help locate the delmquent parent, tracmg h,m through aotk records and, m some cases, the mst1tut1on may call for legal action to ensure payment If the full court-ordered ahmony cannot be secured, the social welfare program ususll~ prowdes for mc~ome support to the famly through pubhcly funded cash benefits The mcrensmg number of single parents who, because of dehnquent support payments, h<kve become dependent on public nsslstance IS of gronung concern The recent sharp rise m divorce rates, pnrtxulnrly among couples nho have young children nnd have been marned less than 5 years 1s reflected m rwng benefit co&s as social nelfare cash payments have been used to replace delmquent nlunony This trend has, ,n turn, led to the nnplementntlon of new cash payment progrnms that provide mc,ome support for needy smgleparent fnxmhes nnd to the development of nen