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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

In: Economics of Means-Tested Transfer Programs in the United States, Volume 1

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  • James P. Ziliak

Abstract

In this chapter I provide a brief history of the TANF program, including changes made as part of the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act. I then present a variety of program statistics, including trends in aggregate and state-level caseloads and spending, along with changes in the demographic composition of the program, especially the shift from adult with child cases to child-only cases. I also highlight the changing composition of spending on the program from cash assistance to in-kind assistance, and the challenges faced in documenting total (cash + in-kind) caseloads and spending. I follow this with a discussion of the behavioral issues surrounding TANF, including the four program goals and possible modifications as part of the 2014 reauthorization legislation, and then I provide a systematic review of the research evidence on whether those goals have been met.
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  • James P. Ziliak, 2015. "Temporary Assistance for Needy Families," NBER Chapters, in: Economics of Means-Tested Transfer Programs in the United States, Volume 1, pages 303-393, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberch:13483
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    Cited by:

    1. Parolin, Zachary, 2019. "Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the Black-White Child Poverty Gap in the United States," OSF Preprints cv4wg, Center for Open Science.
    2. Burt S. Barnow & Jeffrey Smith, 2015. "Employment and Training Programs," NBER Chapters, in: Economics of Means-Tested Transfer Programs in the United States, Volume 2, pages 127-234, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Jeffrey Clemens & Benedic Ippolito, 2018. "Implications of Medicaid Financing Reform for State Government Budgets," Tax Policy and the Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 32(1), pages 135-172.
    4. Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach & Michael R. Strain, 2021. "Employment Effects of the Earned Income Tax Credit: Taking the Long View," Tax Policy and the Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 35(1), pages 87-129.
    5. Deokrye Baek & Christian Raschke, 2016. "The Impact of SNAP Vehicle Asset Limits on Household Asset Allocation," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 83(1), pages 146-175, July.
    6. Kunz, Johannes S. & Zhu, Anna, 2023. "Welfare Reform and Migrant's Long-Term Labor Market Integration," IZA Discussion Papers 16285, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Dugan, Jerome & Booshehri, Layla G. & Phojanakong, Pam & Patel, Falguni & Brown, Emily & Bloom, Sandra & Chilton, Mariana, 2020. "Effects of a trauma-informed curriculum on depression, self-efficacy, economic security, and substance use among TANF participants: Evidence from the Building Health and Wealth Network Phase II," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
    8. Hembre, Erik & Collins, J. Michael & Wylde, Samuel, 2024. "A rising tide lifts all homes? Housing consumption trends for low-income households since the 1980s," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 233(C).
    9. Zachary Parolin, 2018. "Race, Social Assistance & the Risk of Child Poverty across the 50 United States," Working Papers 1804, Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy, University of Antwerp.
    10. Pac, Jessica & Nam, Jaehyun & Waldfogel, Jane & Wimer, Chris, 2017. "Young child poverty in the United States: Analyzing trends in poverty and the role of anti-poverty programs using the Supplemental Poverty Measure," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 35-49.
    11. Deborah A. Cobb-Clark & Nathan Kettlewell & Stefanie Schurer & Sven Silburn, 2023. "The Effect of Quarantining Welfare on School Attendance in Indigenous Communities," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 58(6), pages 2072-2110.
    12. Lonnie R. Snowden, 2023. "US states' racial bias correlates with less SNAP participation by “undeserving poor” adults and lower unemployment benefit maximums," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(2), pages 133-149, June.
    13. Johannes Kunz & Anna Zhu, 2023. "Welfare Reform and Migrant’s Long-term Labor Market Integration," Papers 2023-05, Centre for Health Economics, Monash University.
    14. Netta Achdut & Miri Endeweld, 2021. "Employment And Earnings Mobility Among Income Support Recipients, 2005–2015," Israel Economic Review, Bank of Israel, vol. 19(1), pages 31-57.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H53 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Welfare Programs
    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty
    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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