Since its creation, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has changed from an antihunger program to an income-supplementation program. Because the program (and its predecessor Food Stamp Program) was not designed for this purpose, the result is a program that has many unintended and, many believe, negative effects. The key challenge…

The Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program is growing at an unsustainable pace. Over the past 40 years the number of disabled worker beneficiaries has increased nearly sixfold, rising from 1.5 million in 1970 to 8.2 million in 2010. Rapid growth in the rolls has put increasing pressure on program finances. The rapid rise in SSDI…

This paper examines the relationship between income and the extent of material hardship and explores other factors that might affect hardship. Using panel data from the Women's Employment Study, we examine the incidence of material hardship from 1997 to 2003 among current and former welfare recipients. We then consider the extent to which income…

This paper considers the earnings of refugees and their utilization of financial assistance programs, including Food Stamps and several cash assistance programs. The first section provides a summary of available data on refugee earnings, emphasizing the 1975 cohort of Indochinese refugees, on whom substantial information is available; data on…

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…

The purpose of this paper is to explore family-related objectives in income maintenance programs. (Author)

Objective: The establishment of the Family Violence Option (FVO) in 1997 was met with some controversy, as critics believed waivers from time limit and work requirements would hinder women's ability to leave welfare and find employment. Method: Using administrative and interview data from Maryland, multivariate equations analyze if domestic…

In recent years the delivery of social services in public welfare agencies has been separated from income maintenance responsibilities. This change has received support from many sources, including social workers. However, no systematic effort has been made to ascertain welfare recipients' response to separation. This report describes a field…

Over the past 30 years, welfare and other public policies for families living in poverty have developed a primary objective of increasing parents' self-sufficiency by requiring and supporting employment, culminating in the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA). This legislation gave states considerable…

This report presents data on the numbers of persons receiving benefits from various public income programs. Included in the scope of the study are social insurance programs, income-in-kind programs, public assistance, and other income supplement programs. The report focuses particularly on cases in which persons receive benefits under more than…

Examines current social policies and the extent to which they address rural needs. Focuses on primary issues raised by programs of social insurance, public assistance, and economic development. Notes differences between pre- and post-transfer income and their impact on self-sufficiency for rural populations. (JHZ)

This paper documents changing rates of poverty, sources of income, and employment among rural female-headed families with children, focusing on the effects of welfare reform. Data from the Current Population Survey show that from 1989 through 1999, especially since passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act…

Drawing on census and survey data from 1940 to 1990, this book offers an overview of the dramatic transformations in American childhood over the past 50 years and presents the case for overhauling national child welfare policies. The first chapter examines the life course of children and provides an introduction to the remainder of the book.…

This volume is based on papers presented at a conference of social policy experts that looked at the growth in lone-parent families, the problems that have emerged, and their policy implications. Chapter 1 is an "Overview" (Duskin). Three chapters look at demographic trends over time and over the life-cycle; they are: "Demographic…

The study's objective were: (1) to describe the patterns of work and welfare experience in low-income families and to explain their causes, and (2) to apply the findings to the policy problem of deciding which groups of welfare recipients should be required to work and provided with what mix of manpower services. The effectiveness of work…