Evaluates the association between welfare policies implemented by states in the early to mid-1990s and the rate at which female household heads with children exit AFDC for work or for non-work reasons. Reports that waiver policies requiring work for mothers of very young children are associated with more rapid exits through employment. (Contains…

While the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 included many provision of concern to child advocates, the Act also gave states increased flexibility to design welfare programs in ways that support children, or that ameliorate some of the harshest provisions of the Act. This issue brief describes innovative…

Substance use by welfare recipients is frequently mentioned as an important barrier to well-being and social performance. This article uses nationally representative cross-sectional data and Michigan-specific panel data to summarize trends in substance use among Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Temporary Assistance to Needy…

Examined the relationship between the length of time worked by mothers receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children and three categories of variables. Only economic factors appeared to significantly affect the mothers' decision whether to work. (Author)

Reviewed general outcome indicators using a conceptual framework from the program evaluation literature to summarize findings and issues from the domain of welfare policy in the United States. The review illustrates the new knowledge gained about the effects of requiring work and suggests questions that must be answered. (SLD)

State workfare programs offer home economists the opportunity to gain public policy experience while improving the welfare of families. An additional benefit is the opportunity to educate legislators, social workers, state officials, the media, and the public about the work of home economists. (SK)

Although most of the substantial increase in states' child care spending between 1997 and 1999 is expended through child care subsidy programs or by contracts with child care resource and referral agencies, little research has focused on how the child care subsidy program operates, who is served, and what services are offered. This report is one…

States with family cap public assistance policies deny or reduce additional welfare benefits to mothers who conceive and give birth to additional children while they are receiving aid. By 1999, 22 states had family cap policies in place. This paper reports estimates of the number and cost implications of infants conceived by mothers receiving…

Notes that today's public welfare environment is driven by nation's most recent variation on welfare reform as embodied in Family Support Act of 1988. Reviews this act, focusing on welfare-to-work programs, and discusses implications for social work roles in public welfare. Delineates roles in direct practice, management, policy analysis, staff…

This paper proposes a blended experimental and quasi-experimental research strategy which we believe will help improve the external validity of evaluations of welfare reform and other social policies. We draw upon data from New Jersey's imposition of a family cap, where welfare benefits instead of increasing remained the same for women who…

The promotion of marriage and two-parent families as a strategy to reduce welfare dependency continues to be a major public policy goal of the 1996 welfare reform. Based on the assumption that women will marry employed men and that their earnings will lift poor mothers and their children from public dependency, this objective raises important…

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…

Many issues remain unresolved when considering whether the welfare system perpetuates the poverty of its recipients. The debate often focuses on Blacks. No one considers factors such as the self-defined needs of the target population. Cuts in payment programs may be of some value but are not a panacea. (VM)

Examines the shift from the Manpower Development and Training Act to the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act and the difference between these programs and the Job Training Partnership Act. Also discusses the training of welfare recipients and setting priorities for the future of such programs. (CT)

In May 2000, a conference on the rural dimensions of welfare reform and food assistance policy brought together researchers, welfare policy experts, and rural scholars. This issue brief summarizes some major findings of the conference and suggests future policy options to better address the differing needs of rural and urban families. Between 1994…