U.S.-born children of immigrants may be less likely to receive some social services than are children of native-born immigrants, if foreign-born parents who are themselves ineligible are less likely to apply on their children's behalf. Researchers used retrospective data from a sample of about 2,400 low-income, predominantly Hispanic households in…

The dramatic decline in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) caseloads in the 1990s has focused attention on the process of exit from, and, to a lesser extent, entry into, the welfare system. This paper charts the process of turnover in the TANF program in three major U.S. cities over an 18-month, post-PWORA period and documents its…

This report provides interim findings from a study of families leaving welfare in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. The study is designed to monitor the status of families leaving cash assistance at multiple times and to compare the experiences of exit cohorts drawn at quarterly intervals throughout the process of welfare reform implementation. The report…

An important question related to welfare reform is: "What has happened to the earnings and incomes of families who were receiving public assistance when the new policies took effect?" This question is addressed by examining the impacts of early state-level welfare waivers on the earnings and income growth of welfare recipients. Analysis…

Shows how the progressive aspects of community action shifted to serve conservative ends in the 1990s. Contemporary welfare policy-reform embodies this shift, which narrows rather than expands the citizenship of the poor. The challenge for antipoverty activists now is to create a coordinated response that harnesses the progressive possibilities of…

Describes the impact of Wisconsin Works (W-2), a work-first welfare reform effort that has created significant welfare enrollment reduction. While critics claimed it would devastate inner cities, poor families are faring better. W-2 built on diversion and incentives, opening up welfare administration to competition. Despite many successes, W-2 has…

Life histories of 74 young black women were examined for direct and indirect transmission of values. Values about work and welfare were associated with employment and perceptions of future self-sufficiency. When such transmissions were unidimensional, limited, or absent, women were more likely to be unemployed and to perceive future economic…

Explores the implications of the rapid influx of low-income mothers into the work force and the new federal work requirements for the well-being of young children. Reviews data about welfare policy provisions from the 1990s, but notes that such data was generally collected before the influx of low-income mothers into the workforce. (SLD)

We address how childcare subsidies help in the welfare-to-work transition relative to other factors. We examine how the policy operates, whether childcare problems differ by subsidy receipt, and the effect of subsidy on work. Data are from a random sample panel study of welfare recipients after 1996. Findings show that subsidy receipt reduces…

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a part of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, changed the philosophical ground and rules and regulations that apply to low-income families with children who seek federal income support. TANF recipients have less flexibility in charting their life courses than…

We use longitudinal, qualitative interview data collected from 38 initially welfare-reliant women in Cleveland, Ohio to examine the factors driving instability in child-care arrangements when women transitioned from welfare to work. Grounded theory analysis revealed that decisions about care were circumscribed by scarce social and economic…

This report summarizes the methods used to study a nationwide sample of over 6000 low-income people, both welfare recipients and the working poor. The objectives were: (1) to find out if self-actuated work behavior among low-income people is related systematically to identifiable characteristics of the individual; (2) to develop hypotheses…

This report attempts to answer the questions: do social services help welfare recipients achieve self-support or reduced dependency? can this goal be realistically achieved given the present nature of services, the method of finding out who should receive certain services, and economic constraints? The General Accounting Office (GAO) conducting…

The child support reform provisions within the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) have been markedly successful in improving child support enforcement efforts. Child support is an important part of the mix of supports necessary to assist welfare recipients to make the transition to work and…

This paper discusses the background and character of changes introduced by the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), examining post enactment responses by Congress, the states, and the courts. It explores the impact of the law on benefit use among immigrants, highlighting changes in usage among different…