There is a longstanding debate about whether helping welfare recipients quickly find work or helping them to first obtain some basic education and training better improves their economic well-being. This brief contributes to the debate by presenting long-term findings from three sites in the seven-site National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work…

A 5-year study of the Saturation Work Initiative Model (2290 participants, 2260 controls), which requires welfare recipients to work, showed that it increased employment and reduced welfare payments. However, income from increased employment did not offset the loss in welfare income. (SK)