Welfare Reform: Effects of a Decade of Change

by Jeffrey T. Grogger, Lynn A. Karoly

Overview

During the 1990s the United States undertook the greatest social policy reform since the Social Security Act of 1935. In Welfare Reform: Effects of a Decade of Change, Jeffrey Grogger and Lynn Karoly assemble evidence from numerous studies, including nearly three dozen social experiments, to assess how welfare reform has affected behavior. To broaden our understanding of this wide-ranging policy reform, the authors evaluate the evidence in relation to an economic model of behavior. The evidence they collect reveals the trade-offs that policymakers face in achieving the conflicting goals of promoting work, reducing dependency, and alleviating need among the poor. Finally, the authors identify numerous areas where important gaps remain in our understanding of the effects of welfare reform.

The book will be a crucial resource for policy economists, social policy specialists, other professionals concerned with welfare policy, and students.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674018914
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	10/30/2005
Series:	A RAND Corporation Study Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Jeffrey T. Grogger is Irving Harris Professor in Urban Policy, Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago.

Lynn A. Karoly is Senior Economist, RAND Corporation.

Table of Contents

List of Figures

List of Tables

Preface

List of Acronyms

1. Introduction

Our Approach

Organization of the Book

2. Background

Brief History of Federal Welfare Policy

Policy and Program Changes during the 1990s

Welfare-Related Outcomes in the 1990s

3. An Economic Model

AFDC and the Standard Economic Model

Financial Work Incentives

Requirements for Work or Related Activities

Time Limits

Summarizing the Predictions

4. Methodological Issues

Methods of Causal Inference in Studies of Welfare Reform

Measuring the Policy Environment

Data Sources for Welfare Outcomes

Summary of Studies Included in the Analysis

5. Welfare Use and Welfare Payments

Experimental Estimates of the Effects of Specific Reforms

Observational Estimates of the Effects of Specific Reforms

Estimates of the Effects of Reform as a Bundle

Estimates of the Effect of the Economy

Summary

6. Employment, Labor Supply, and Earnings

Experimental Estimates of the Effects of Specific Reforms

Observational Estimates of the Effects of Specific Reforms

Estimates of the Effects of Reform as a Bundle

Estimates of the Effect of the Economy

Summary

7. Income and Poverty

Experimental Estimates of the Effects of Specific Reforms

Observational Estimates of the Effects of Specific Reforms

Estimates of the Effects of Reform as a Bundle

Estimates of the Effect of the Economy

Summary

8. Family Structure

Theoretical Framework and Methodological Issues

Experimental Estimates of the Effects of Specific Reforms on Marriage

Estimates of the Effects of Reform as a Bundle on Marriage

Experimental Estimates of the Effects of Specific Reforms on Childbearing

Observational Estimates of the Effects of Specific Reforms on Childbearing

Estimates of the Effects of Reform as a Bundle on Childbearing

Summary

9. Child Outcomes

Theoretical Framework and Methodological Issues

Experimental Estimates of the Effects of Specific Reforms

Observational Estimates of the Effects of Specific Reforms

Estimates of the Effects of Reform as a Bundle

Summary

10. Theory, Evidence, and Policy Trade-offs

Summarizing the Empirical Evidence

Welfare, Labor Market Behavior, and Income

Marriage, Childbearing, and Child Outcomes

Welfare Reform as a Bundle

What We Don't Know about Welfare Reform

Appendix A. Sources for Experimental Study Results

Appendix B. Methodology for Summary Figures in Chapter 10

References

Index

What People are Saying About This

This is an excellent book – comprehensive, well organized, and clear. It will be a widely cited and used reference in the welfare policy research community.

Hilary Hoynes

This is an excellent book – comprehensive, well organized, and clear. It will be a widely cited and used reference in the welfare policy research community.
— Hilary Hoynes, University of California, Davis

Robert Plotnick

It is likely that future scholarship on U.S. welfare reform will take Grogger-Karoly as the starting point, view it as the definitive assessment of the state of the art, and use it as a springboard for future research. Scholars who want to assemble and assess evidence on the effects of policy changes in other policy arenas will want to consult this work as an exemplar of how to do it well.
— Robert Plotnick, University of Washington

Editorial Reviews

This is an excellent book – comprehensive, well organized, and clear. It will be a widely cited and used reference in the welfare policy research community.

Hilary Hoynes

It is likely that future scholarship on U.S. welfare reform will take Grogger-Karoly as the starting point, view it as the definitive assessment of the state of the art, and use it as a springboard for future research. Scholars who want to assemble and assess evidence on the effects of policy changes in other policy arenas will want to consult this work as an exemplar of how to do it well.

Robert Plotnick