The Consequences And Public Policy Implications Of Welfare Reform: A Cost-Benefit Analysis Of The Welfare Reform Policy

Abstract

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Welfare reform has been the recurrent subject of heated debate in the United States, culminating in far-reaching legislation in 1996.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Taking the measure of that legislation requires attention both to the broader context of which welfare policy is a part and to the merits of the 1996 law itself.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;" lang="EN"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Ultimately, the success or failure of welfare reform, which evoked a great deal of partisan rhetoric, will be assessed on empirical rather than partisan grounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>It cannot be determined merely by changes in the size of welfare caseloads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>It is crucial to any piece of legislation to analyze the cost in relations to its benefits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Most importantly, we must ask: What has happened to the families and children who have left the welfare system?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;" lang="EN">Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 is a successful legislation that needs a little troubleshooting, so it will not be the failed anti-poverty prescription</span></span></p>