This thesis analyzes the distributional impacts of public policies for families and children in Russia and Europe, by using expost and exante impact evaluation techniques. Moreover, this thesis offers a new tool for a comprehensive impact evaluation of the performance of the Russian taxbenefit system - the static microsimulation model RUSMOD. The model allows testing of the firstorder distributional impacts of both existing and hypothetical policy designs, while keeping other national parameters - original income distribution and sociodemographic structure - constant. Furthermore, being fully compatible with EUROMOD - the taxbenefit model for the European Union - the Russian model is suitable for crosscountry policy learning. The study assesses the performance of child targeted allowances in Russia and shows that it is possible to achieve better distributional results, even at the same level of spending, by means of better targeting and unification of programme design across the regions. In addition, the study estimates the potential gains if the Russian programme of child allowances were to be redesigned along the policy parameters of the relevant programmes in four European countries - Sweden, Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom - countries representing different family policy regimes. This analysis suggests that there is a significant scope for expanding the budget for child allowances in Russia. In terms of design, the best distributive outcomes are achieved by applying a mix of universal and meanstested child benefits. On a theoretical level, this thesis contributes to the international debate on the directions of welfare state reform in conditions of contemporary demographic and economic challenges. On a practical level, it contributes to the promotion of the evidence based approach to social intervention. The scope of applications of the Russian model can be easily extended to the analysis of other taxbenefit policies and other EU countries. The output of the model can be incorporated into the dynamic model framework, to study the effect of policy reforms on labour supply and demographic behaviour.