This study provides new evidence on the long-term impact of education on welfare participation in the US. I exploit historical changes in child labor laws as an instrumental variable for education to estimate the causal effects of education on the probability of receiving social welfare benefits. I find large and statistically significant negative…

In the United States, multipartnered fertility (MPF) has become commonplace. This study provides the first nationally representative measures of women's MPF, across multiple years, using the U.S. Census Bureau's Surveys of Income and Program Participation. Because welfare rules contain strong incentives for MPF, and because MPF is especially…

This study examines whether and how select individual characteristics moderate the relationship between neighborhood disorder and a sense of personal control. Our findings show that neighborhood disorder is associated with a decreased sense of control. However, regression analyses including interaction terms of neighborhood disorder and some…

Adult (age 30) educational, economic, and social-emotional adjustment outcomes were investigated for participants in the Abecedarian Project, a randomized controlled trial of early childhood education for children from low-income families. Of the original 111 infants enrolled (98% African American), 101 took part in the age 30 follow-up. Primary…

This study analyzes welfare returns for families who leave welfare for a "sit-out" period of 12 months in response to a temporary time limit requirement in Nevada. Findings reveal that relatively few families return for cash assistance after sitting out and that the majority who do return soon after their sit-out period is complete.…

Examined the cross-age comparability of the widely used Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) in 414 adolescents and 900 adults in families receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children. Found similarities of means in the RSES across groups. (SLD)

Examined the status of children living in families leaving welfare, including closed child-only cases. Describes the child and the adult outcomes that predict long-term child outcomes. Data for about 2,210 single-parent leaver families and about 660 child-only cases provide details about how these families joined the working poor. (SLD)

Describes successful welfare-to-work transition programs that provide training for welfare recipients for real jobs. Includes experiences of several companies, guidelines for hiring former welfare recipients, and websites with information about welfare reform. (JOW)

Volunteer administrators (n=32) participating in Australia's Voluntary Work Initiative, designed to assist welfare recipients who were required to perform volunteer work, were interviewed. Although volunteering helped overcome isolation and develop job skills, low levels of commitment and short stays (especially among younger participants) and…

Estimates of the level of women's full-time employment are greatly affected by the choice of reference period and population. As states attempt to move poor mothers from welfare to work, a tendency may arise to overestimate how much mothers of young children work for pay. (Author)

Used administrative (for 20,237 adults) and survey data (from about 200 leavers per month) from Georgia to examine risk factors for recidivism among welfare leavers and the relationship between recidivism and leavers' ability to find sustained employment. Results show a threshold of earnings that welfare leavers need to survive at the poverty…

Comparison of differences in job-retention outcomes for 1,777 welfare-to-work employees and 16,723 other employees in federal agencies reveals that welfare-to-work employees have greater odds of retaining their jobs. (Contains 32 references.) (JOW)

The authors explored the relationship among childhood sexual abuse (CSA), physical and mental health work barriers, and employment outcomes using a large panel study of current and former welfare recipients. Controlling for human capital and demographic characteristics, they found CSA was associated with significantly fewer months worked over the…

Identifies key characteristics of indigenous sole-parent families relative to other such Australian families and analyzes the factors associated with their ongoing levels of economic disadvantage. Raises issues about the efficacy of job-skill-development programs. (Author/JOW)

Discusses the growth in Social Security Administration (SSA) disability programs and suggests that one means of assisting SSA beneficiaries to reduce dependence is for the SSA to directly or indirectly fund competitive employment initiatives focusing on vocational rehabilitation for individuals who are currently served in nonremunerative day…