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Welfare reform in the United States: implications for British social policy

Author

Listed:
  • Midgley, James
  • Stewart, Kitty
  • Piachaud, David
  • Glennerster, Howard

Abstract

Recent government pronouncements in the UK and above all the recent Conservative Party (2008) policy document on welfare reform suggest that US welfare reform is increasingly being taken as a model for the UK. What lessons should the UK draw from US experience? The long established means tested programme for needy families known as Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) was replaced in 1996 with a welfare to work programme known as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The historical background and features of the new program are elaborated and the way it has been implemented in varied ways in different states is documented. The findings of a number of outcome studies assessing the programme’s impact and effectiveness are reviewed. Three commentaries on the paper consider how far American experience should be a guide to welfare policy in Britain. With commentaries by Kitty Stewart, David Piachaud and Howard Glennerster

Suggested Citation

  • Midgley, James & Stewart, Kitty & Piachaud, David & Glennerster, Howard, 2008. "Welfare reform in the United States: implications for British social policy," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 6192, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:6192
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/6192/
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Waldfogel, Jane, 2007. "Welfare reforms and child well-being in the US and UK," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 6208, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. John Hills, 2007. "Ends and Means: The future roles of social housing in England," CASE Reports casereport34, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE.
    3. Jane Waldfogel, 2007. "Welfare Reforms and Child Well-Being in the US and UK," CASE Papers case126, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE.
    4. Saul D. Hoffman & Laurence S. Seidman, 2003. "Helping Working Families: The Earned Income Tax Credit," Books from Upjohn Press, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, number hwf, November.
    5. Martin Evans, 2001. "Welfare to Work and the Organisation of Opportunity: Lessons from Abroad," CASE Reports casereport15, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE.
    6. Lindsey, Duncan & Klein Martin, Sacha, 2003. "Deepening Child Poverty: The Not So Good News about Welfare Reform," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(1-2), pages 165-173.
    7. repec:cep:sticas:/126 is not listed on IDEAS
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    Cited by:

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    2. Immervoll, Herwig, 2009. "Minimum-Income Benefits in OECD Countries: Policy Design, Effectiveness and Challenges," IZA Discussion Papers 4627, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    welfare reform; comparative public policy; United States/UK;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs

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