Shows that welfare reform increased employment and earnings during the first three and a half years, and that the employment increase occurred because of reform policies allowing people to work while receiving cash assistance. However, there is no evidence that reforms reduced participation in...

Welfare reform in Iowa succeeded in getting welfare recipients into training and then into jobs. However, the reforms did not always succeed in raising family income and may have reduced it for some families. Furthermore, researchers noted negative impacts on some measures of family and child...

Based on a one-year follow-up survey with a representative sample of over 400 single-mother TANF clients, the report examines how various obstacles to employment constrained clients’ employability and influenced their experiences with welfare-to-work activities and supportive services. Also...

This four-page brief examines differences between rural and urban clients' welfare receipt, employment experiences and obstacles, program participation and service use, and quality of life. It also points out considerations for states interested in enhancing their programs in rural and urban areas.

A burgeoning literature suggests that marriage may have a wide range of benefits, including improvements in individuals' economic well-being and mental and physical health, as well as the well-being of their children. The authors have synthesized recent literature from rigorous research studies...

This report describes the status of over 1,000 Virginia families 18 months after their TANF cases closed because of a time limit. It finds that nearly all parents worked after leaving TANF, with average hours, hourly wages, and total earnings increasing over time. Families also decreased their...