Controversy: Debating WIC
IN their critical review of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program (“Is WIC As Good As They Say,” The Public Interest, No. 134, Winter 1999), Douglas J. Besharov and Peter Germanis conclude that WIC is less effective than commonly believed and that the research evidence is flawed. They suggest various ways to restructure the program in fashions more to their liking, although they offer little evidence that their proposals are feasible or would be more effective. I appreciate the spirit of constructive criticism brought by Besharov and Germanis, but I disagree with many of their conclusions.