IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/pubfin/v26y1998i2p155-183.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

State Experimentation With Time-Limited AFDC Benefits: What Differentiates Reform-Minded States From Others?

Author

Listed:
  • Anne E. Winkler

Abstract

This study examines states' experimentation with time-limited Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) benefits prior to the passage of the 1996 welfare reform legislation. The data reveal substantial variation in states' definitions of time-limited benefits adopted under the federal waivers. Some states adopted a "2 years and you're out" policy (i.e., AFDC cash benefits would be cut off), whereas others interpreted time limits much more leniently. Next, this study examines the economic, social, and political characteristics of states most likely associated with their adoption of this policy, both broadly and narrowly defined. The findings suggest that ability to pay, willingness to pay and political climate are among the factors that distinguish "reform-minded" states from others. These same factors are likely to be importantfollowing the 1996 legislation, as states assume much greater control than in the past m designing their welfare plans.

Suggested Citation

  • Anne E. Winkler, 1998. "State Experimentation With Time-Limited AFDC Benefits: What Differentiates Reform-Minded States From Others?," Public Finance Review, , vol. 26(2), pages 155-183, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:pubfin:v:26:y:1998:i:2:p:155-183
    DOI: 10.1177/109114219802600204
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/109114219802600204
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/109114219802600204?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. William Sander & J. Giertz, 1986. "The political economy of state level welfare benefits," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 51(2), pages 209-219, January.
    2. Anne E. Winkler, 1995. "Does AFDC-up encourage two-parent families?," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 14(1), pages 4-24.
    3. Alberto Martini & Michael Wiseman, 1997. "Explaining the Recent Decline in Welfare Caseloads," Challenge, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(6), pages 6-20, November.
    4. Maddala,G. S., 1986. "Limited-Dependent and Qualitative Variables in Econometrics," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521338257, October.
    5. Plotnick, Robert D. & Winters, Richard F., 1985. "A Politico-Economic Theory of Income Redistribution," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 79(2), pages 458-473, June.
    6. Walter W. McMahon, 1991. "Geographical Cost of Living Differences: An Update," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 19(3), pages 426-450, September.
    7. Moffitt, Robert, 1990. "Has State Redistribution Policy Grown More Conservative?," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 43(2), pages 123-142, June.
    8. Carol Dawn Petersen, 1995. "Female-Headed Families on AFDC: Who Leaves Welfare Quickly and Who Doesn’t," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(2), pages 619-628, June.
    9. Susan Feigenbaum, 1980. "The Case of Income Redistribution: a Theory of Government and Private Provision of Collective Goods," Public Finance Review, , vol. 8(1), pages 3-22, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Robert Moffitt, 1999. "Explaining Welfare Reform: Public Choice and the Labor Market," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 6(3), pages 289-315, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Moffitt, Robert & Ribar, David & Wilhelm, Mark, 1998. "The decline of welfare benefits in the U.S.: the role of wage inequality," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(3), pages 421-452, June.
    2. Smith, Mark W, 1999. "Should we expect a race to the bottom in welfare benefits? Evidence from a multistate panel, 1979-1995," MPRA Paper 10125, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Christopher B. Colburn & John B. Horowitz, 1998. "Efficiency Costs and the Demand for Income Redistribution," Public Finance Review, , vol. 26(3), pages 214-230, May.
    4. Howard Chernick, 1998. "Fiscal Effects of Block Grants for the Needy: An Interpretation of the Evidence," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 5(2), pages 205-233, May.
    5. Gundersen, Craig & LeBlanc, Michael & Kuhn, Betsey A., 1999. "The Changing Food Assistance Landscape: The Food Stamp Program in a Post-Welfare Reform Environment," Agricultural Economic Reports 33993, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    6. George R.G. Clarke, 2003. "The Effect of Medicaid On Cash Assistance To the Aged and Disabled Poor," Public Finance Review, , vol. 31(1), pages 3-43, January.
    7. Williamson Hoyne, Hilary, 1997. "Does welfare play any role in female headship decisions?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 89-117, August.
    8. Phillip B. Levine & David J. Zimmerman, 1999. "An empirical analysis of the welfare magnet debate using the NLSY," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 12(3), pages 391-409.
    9. Betsey A. Kuhn, 1996. "Policy Watch: The Food Stamp Program and Welfare Reform," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 10(2), pages 189-198, Spring.
    10. Marton, James & Wildasin, David E., 2007. "State government cash and in-kind benefits: Intergovernmental fiscal transfers and cross-program substitution," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(1), pages 1-20, January.
    11. Baker, Michael & Payne, A. Abigail & Smart, Michael, 1999. "An empirical study of matching grants: the 'cap on CAP'," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(2), pages 269-288, May.
    12. Amegashie, J. Atsu & Ouattara, Bazoumanna & Strobl, Eric, 2007. "Moral Hazard and the Composition of Transfers: Theory with an Application to Foreign Aid," MPRA Paper 3158, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 06 May 2007.
    13. Gold, Steven D., 1996. "Issues Raised by the New Federalism," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 49(2), pages 273-287, June.
    14. Gold, Steven D., 1996. "Issues Raised By the New Federalism," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association, vol. 49(2), pages 273-87, June.
    15. Smith, Mark W., 1999. "The impact of state welfare policies on women's cohabitation," MPRA Paper 19288, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Pauline Leung, 2021. "State Responses to Federal Matching Grants: The Case of Medicaid," Working Papers 647, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section..
    17. Baicker, Katherine, 2001. "Government decision-making and the incidence of federal mandates," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(2), pages 147-194, November.
    18. George R. G. Clarke & Robert P. Strauss, 1998. "Children as Income‐Producing Assets: The Case of Teen Illegitimacy and Government Transfers," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 64(4), pages 827-856, April.
    19. Laura S. Connolly, 1999. "Interrelationships among Public Assistance Expenditures: An Empirical Analysis of the Welfare System," Public Finance Review, , vol. 27(4), pages 396-417, July.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:pubfin:v:26:y:1998:i:2:p:155-183. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.