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A research context for welfare reform

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  • Judith M. Gueron

    (Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation)

Abstract

Responsibility for the social safety net continues to “devolve” from the federal to state governments, and many states are now confronting the dilemmas inherent in redesigning welfare-dilemmas that faced Congress, too, as it sought to impose new conditions on receipt of public assistance. This article argues that reforming AFDC is difficult because the public has conflicting goals: putting welfare recipients to work; protecting their children from severe poverty; and controlling costs. For 25 years, reformers have viewed requiring welfare recipients to participate in work-promoting programs as uniquely able to balance these goals. Numerous studies have shown that this approach modestly increased employment and reduced welfare costs. More substantial gains have been achieved by some “mixed-strategy” programs, which stress immediate job entry for some recipients and employment-directed education or training for others. Many people remain on the rolls, however, prompting some policymakers to argue for substituting work-for-benefits or community service work (“workfare”) for welfare after a certain period of time, and others for ending all support. The limited knowledge about work-for-benefits programs suggests that, in contrast to work-promoting activities, this approach ultimately costs money. The research record confirms that there are no easy answers in welfare reform, and that states will have to weigh the trade-offs in considering alternative strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Judith M. Gueron, 1996. "A research context for welfare reform," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 15(4), pages 547-561.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:jpamgt:v:15:y:1996:i:4:p:547-561
    DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1520-6688(199623)15:4<547::AID-PAM2>3.0.CO;2-H
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Rebecca Maynard & Walter Nicholson & Anu Rangarajan, 1993. "Breaking the Cycle of Poverty: The Effectiveness of Mandatory Services for Welfare-Dependent Teenage Parents," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 1435eded1614428a97a86afdf, Mathematica Policy Research.
    2. repec:mpr:mprres:1320 is not listed on IDEAS
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    Cited by:

    1. L. M. Mead, "undated". "The Decline of Welfare in Wisconsin," Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Papers 1164-98, University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty.

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