Welfare reform in the United States:

Holcomb, Pamela; Martinson, Karin

doi:10.2307/j.ctt1t88xtq.14

Cited by 2 publications

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“…It was no surprise to find, in this study, that education figured prominently in unemployed mothers’ ability to leave welfare employed above the poverty line. Despite the clear precedence of occupational skills in mothers’ eventual outcomes, it was ‘job readiness’ and the job‐search process that were emphasised by ‘Work First’ programmes that followed the 1996 reforms (Holcomb & Martinson, 2002). States should reconsider this emphasis and give occupational training and post‐secondary education the attention which, research indicates, they deserve.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, close examination of the apparent successes of welfare reforms under PRWORA reveals hidden troubles. One such success lies in reports from some states that TANF caseloads dropped off by 30–50 per cent from 1996 to 2000 (Holcomb & Martinson, 2002). On closer examination of these reports, however, economists have attributed up to one‐third of the dramatic reduction, and one‐third of an accompanying rise in TANF participants’ employment rates, to strong economic growth in the 1990s (Kaushal & Kaestner, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How is ‘welfare‐to‐work’ shaped by contingencies of economy, welfare policy and human capital?

Cheng

2006

Int J Soc Welfare

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This research weighed the impact made by the economy, welfare policy and human capital on unemployed welfare mothers in the USA. Specifically, it asked how welfare mothers’ employment status, poverty status, and enrolment for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) are affected by these three factors. Longitudinal data from the Survey of Income Program Participation (SIPP) provided a sample of TANF mothers. The SIPP data shed light on modes of economic adaptation exhibited by these mothers. Event history analysis was applied to the data (for years 1996–2000), and results were obtained showing that restrictive welfare policies combined with high unemployment can boost the number of working poor Americans by severing them from TANF. Human capital contingencies – which here comprised development of the sample's occupational skills, work experience and education – helped TANF mothers gain employment and even leave welfare. Some were able to do so and live above the poverty level. Social support, especially family support, was another factor included in this study that was found to be of some use to unemployed mothers in terms of finding work. Results bear several implications for TANF policy.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How is ‘welfare‐to‐work’ shaped by contingencies of economy, welfare policy and human capital?

Cheng

2006

Int J Soc Welfare

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“…As noted at the outset, some researchers and policymakers have relied on economic indicators, such as recent work experience, to show that the welfare population is not necessarily growing more disadvantaged over time (e.g., Moffitt, 2003). Indeed, data from many local and state systems also suggest that employment indicators have improved over the course of implementing welfare reform (Holcomb and Martinson, 2002; Moffitt, 2003; Zedlewski, 2002; Zedlewski and Alderson, 2001; Zedlewski et al, 2003). The results of this case study suggest, however, that it is possible for employment indicators to improve even as indicators of health impairments and social disadvantages worsen.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a series of site visits to state welfare agencies, the U.S. General Accountability Office found many providers preoccupied by concerns about responding to health-related barriers to work in their caseloads (United States General Accounting Office, 2001; Weil, 2002; Weil and Finegold, 2002). Investigators from the Urban Institute similarly found that welfare systems in 17 cities were shifting more attention to health issues due to concerns about a “growing disconnect between the needs of some recipients and their ‘welfare-to-work program capabilities’” (Holcomb and Martinson, 2002, p2).…”

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confidence: 99%

On the Declining Health Status of Welfare Caseloads: Emerging Dilemmas for Serving the Poor

Schmidt

Zabkiewicz

Henderson

et al. 2011

Social Work in Public Health

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An emerging concern for public policy is welfare reform’s potential to inadvertently affect caseload composition by increasing the proportion of recipients with health-related barriers to employment. We examine this using data from the Welfare Client Longitudinal Study, an in-depth case study of a large California county. Through quantitative analyses, we examine the extent of change in health-related problems since welfare reform and their potential to progressively impact overall composition of the caseload. We augment this with qualitative data on how local welfare providers are responding to the health-related needs of aid recipients. Results suggest that the burden of health-related problems is growing and that welfare providers may be poorly equipped to respond effectively on their own. The changing composition of welfare caseloads may foster several new policy dilemmas that demand broader attention: states and localities may face difficulties meeting federal workforce participation requirements, may need to restructure welfare-to-work programs to serve a more functionally impaired population, and take steps to better integrate health and welfare services at the local level.

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Welfare reform in the United States:

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

How is ‘welfare‐to‐work’ shaped by contingencies of economy, welfare policy and human capital?

How is ‘welfare‐to‐work’ shaped by contingencies of economy, welfare policy and human capital?

On the Declining Health Status of Welfare Caseloads: Emerging Dilemmas for Serving the Poor

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