How should government benefits, such as family assistance, be distributed? Targeting, or concentrating benefits on those in need, is an attractive and widely supported idea. However, although politically fashionable, calls for greater targeting of family benefits need to be treated with caution. The argument in favor has to be made explicit and critically examined. Behind such policy recommendations lie views with regard to (a) the objectives of policy, (b) the range of instruments available to attain those objectives, and (c) the constraints under which policy has to operate. This chapter examines the ambiguities and limitations of common approaches to targeting of benefits, and suggests the need to consider other objectives in designing effective social security programs in Britain and greater Europe.
