Despite the claimed success of the 1996 Welfare Reform, little research using multivariate regression has examined changes in multiple public safety-net programs. Thus, we still do not know whether public safety-net programs for the poor have shrunk or increased nationwide, along with the sharp declines in cash assistance. Using state-level data…

The budget for the U.S. Department of Labor for Fiscal Year 2010 includes a total of $45 million to support and study transitional jobs. This paper describes the origins of the transitional jobs models that are operating today, reviews the evidence on the effectiveness of this approach and other subsidized employment models, and offers some…

Background: Previous research has demonstrated that children growing up in poor communities have limited access to high-performing schools, while more affluent neighborhoods tend to have higher-ranking schools and more opportunities for after-school programs and activities. Therefore, many researchers and policy makers expected not only that the…

There is little research on knowledge of the policy rules that could affect individuals, either in general or in evaluations of new programs. The lack of research is surprising, given that knowledge gaps could limit the effectiveness of reforms or lead to incorrect inferences regarding the effects of a policy change. In this article, we use survey…

This article explores issues of persistent poverty and income inequality. The major focus is that of the alleviation of poverty. Is there a framework that delineates the roles for government, market forces and self-reliance that can effect a reduction in the level of poverty? The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act…

This report summarizes discussions from two round-table seminars exploring federal programs that affect children and families. Ideas presented in this report are organized around five topics: (1) symptoms of fragmented federal programs for children and families; (2) why coordinated services for children and families are so rare; (3) what Congress…

This report provides an overview of research findings on major Federal welfare system design issues. The report is based on: a review of 100 major welfare studies completed since 1975; interviews with Federal, State, and local welfare officials; the results of the General Accounting Office's (GAO) welfare work; and an analysis of the Census…

Evaluation of the work experience and job training (WEJT) program of Kenosha County (Wisconsin) suggests that it has no effect on length of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), a preventive impact on AFDC cases headed by never-married African-American teenagers, and a negative impact on unemployed parent cases. (SLD)

The San Diego (California) Saturation Work Initiative Model (SWIM) was part of the Social Security Administration's two-site demonstration of saturation work programs in an urban area. The multicomponent program operated from July 1985 until late 1987, when it was replaced by a new statewide initiative called the Greater Avenues for Independence…

The paper presents an econometric analysis of the impact of the Work Incentive Program, as modified by the Talmadge Amendments of 1971 (WIN 2), on Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program costs and recipient rates. (Author)

With the enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (P.L. 104-193) of 1996, also known as the Welfare-to-Work Act, Aid to Families with Dependent Children was abolished and replaced with Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). A new system of block grants to states for TANF was created, changing the…

This report reviews the progress of demonstration projects that reduce refugee welfare dependency, promote earlier refugee employment and self-sufficiency, and foster coordination among public and private agencies that work with refugees. The projects used the following three methods: (1) removing welfare provisions that took away some cash…

This country has long debated the question of how to design the welfare system, particularly the federally supported Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program which provides cash assistance to families headed primarily by female single parents. A pressing issue is whether welfare programs should continue to be broad entitlements or…

Many eligible persons, especially those with the lowest incomes and the greatest need for assistance, are precluded from receiving benefits because of program inaccessibility. The problem of inaccessibility and nonparticipation is examined. Action by policymakers to help solve this problem is called for. (Author)

Massachusetts' Employment and Training (ET) Choices Program--a work-incentive demonstration--assumes that recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) would choose work over welfare if given genuine opportunities for economic improvement. Models for estimating caseload without the ET Program indicate that the program had only…