TANF Program Research Articles

Social contract as a tool for overcoming poverty of the working-age population: assessment of budget efficiency and directions of modernization

One of the promising instruments of social support for the population in the Russian Federation is a social contract, the feature of which is the conditional nature of social payments, requiring poor citizens to take active actions to improve their living situation (job search, vocational training, doing business). This study analyzes the Russian and foreign experience in organizing social contract instruments (the TANF program in the USA and the RSA program in France). The subject of the author's research is the effectiveness of budget expenditures of the budgetary system of the Russian Federation for the financial provision of the social contract mechanism in the context of the allocated areas of assistance. Special attention is paid to the legal support of the functioning of the social contract in terms of methods for evaluating its effectiveness and the distribution of appropriate subsidies from the federal budget. Based on the criterion proposed by the author of the relative amount of budget expenditures per citizen who has overcome the poverty threshold, an assessment of the budgetary effectiveness of various areas of assistance under the social contract is carried out. The conclusion is made about the difference in the evaluation results when using official indicators and the author's approach. Thus, official data indicate the success of the results of the social contract program, comparable with foreign analogues. The author's assessment of budgetary efficiency showed the irrational use of budgetary funds: 60% of financial resources in 2021-2022 were directed to the least effective area of assistance. Additionally, the problems in the mechanism of federal co-financing of expenditures of regional budgets for the use of the instrument are identified. The author identifies the methodological shortcomings of the current methodology for evaluating its effectiveness. Based on the identified problems, changes are proposed in the regulatory framework governing the financial mechanism for providing assistance on the basis of a social contract. These results are of high practical significance for the activities of the Ministry of Labor of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, as well as regional executive authorities responsible for the implementation of the social contract.

Below the Tip of the Iceberg: Examining Early Childhood Participation in SNAP and TANF from Birth to Age Six.

In the United States, the SNAP and TANF programs provide financial support to low-income households with children. Yet, little is known about the extent of this support over the early childhood period or how program participation varies by race (or ethnicity) and metropolitan county residence. We use administrative data from Virginia to document participation in SNAP and TANF among children born between 2007 and 2010 during their early childhood period, which we define here as birth to age six. We find that participation in SNAP is about four times greater than participation in TANF and that most children begin their connection with the social welfare system in their birth year. Children who participate earlier in life tend to stay connected over a longer portion of the early childhood period, although SNAP participation peaks around ages 3–4 while TANF peaks earlier, around ages 2–3. Most households on SNAP do not receive TANF, but only about 1 in 12 children on TANF do not receive SNAP. Finally, over the early childhood period, on average, just under 1 in 2 children in Virginia participated in SNAP or TANF but demography plays an important role in this process: The level of cumulative receipt is 1 in 4 among White children, 1 in 2 among Hispanic children but rises to 3 in 4 for Black children; cumulative receipt is also higher in nonmetropolitan counties than metropolitan counties. This study documents the reach of the existing social welfare system during the early childhood period, underlining the importance of race and space in twenty-first century America.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11113-021-09660-9.

Focus on Welfare “Reform”: More Thoughtful Analysis From a Conservative

Editor Max J. Skidmore continues the journal's analyses of TANF and other welfare programs, presenting additional penetrating evaluation from a conservative whose concern for accuracy leads him to take his fellow conservatives to task for erroneous reporting—reporting that incorrectly portrays “reform” as a success. The conservative, “Peter the Citizen,” adds to his previous comments on the subject.

Examination on the Devolution Experiences of the Welfare Program in the U.S. : Focusing on the Devolution Experiences of the TANF Program after Welfare Reform

Examination on the Devolution Experiences of the Welfare Program in the U.S. : Focusing on the Devolution Experiences of the TANF Program after Welfare Reform

Evaluating Performance-Based Contracting in Welfare-to-Work Programs: Selection and Earnings Gain Effects in Wisconsin Works

The Wisconsin Works (W-2) program, the TANF program in Wisconsin, has introduced performance contracting to align W-2 service providers??? objectives with the state???s goals by establishing financial and administrative incentives. Using individual-level administrative datasets from 1998 to 2005, this study examines whether the introduction and revision of the earnings gain rate standard improved the economic performance of W-2 participants. Results reveal that under exacerbating economic conditions and weakening financial incentives, the adoption of the earnings gain standard had a positive effect on maintaining the earing gain of W-2 participants. However, W-2 agencies responded to the changes in the earnings gain rate standard by controlling the movement of W-2 participants in and out of the program and selecting those who were more likely to be employed. This study discusses a better contract design to improve the effectiveness of the welfare service provision.

Welfare Rules, Incentives, and Family Structure

In this study we provide a new examination of the incentive effects of welfare rules on family structure. Focusing on the AFDC and TANF programs, we first emphasize that the literature, by and large, has assumed that the rules of those programs make a key distinction between married women and cohabiting women, but this is not a correct interpretation. In fact, it is the biological relationship between the children and any male in the household that primarily determines how the family is treated. In an empirical analysis conducted over the period 1996 to 2004 that correctly matches family structure outcomes to welfare rules, we find significant effects of several welfare policies on family structure, both work-related policies and family-oriented policies, effects that are stronger than in most past work. Many of our significant effects show that these rules led to a decrease in single motherhood and an increase in biological partnering. For all of our results, our findings indicate that the impact of welfare rules crucially hinges on the biological relationship of the male partner to the children in the household.

Race and Child Welfare Policy: State-Level Variations in Disproportionality

African American children are represented among those housed in foster care at more than twice the rate of their overall representation in the US population. This racial disproportionality is well known among child welfare researchers, who have been attempting to explain the phenomenon. Are African American families under more surveillance than white families because of involvement with TANF and other government aid programs, resulting in higher rates of foster care placements? Are investigators more likely to pursue allegations of abuse within African American families? Are African American children more likely to suffer from maltreatment? My research makes a unique contribution by investigating state-level variations in child welfare policy outcomes. Following the innovative work of Soss et al. (American Journal of Political Science 52(3):536–553, 2008) who find that states with larger African American populations have more stringent welfare regimes, it would be reasonable to expect that states with larger African American populations would have more aggressive child protection policies, resulting in higher numbers of children being housed in state protective custody. This work exposes a strikingly different pattern: States with larger African American populations are distinctly less likely to take children into protective custody. In addition, states with larger African American populations have dramatically lower levels of racial disproportionality among their children in foster care. States with larger white majorities place more children in foster care and place disproportionately higher percentages of African American children in foster care.

Philosophical and religious influences on social welfare policy in the United States: The ongoing effect of Reformed theology and social Darwinism on attitudes toward the poor and social welfare policy and practice

• Summary: This article explores the historical and contemporary philosophical and religious influences of social welfare policy and programs in the United States. A discussion of Weber's critique of Calvin's Reformed theology and the profound influence of Calvin's Reformed theology, including the concept of predestination and the Protestant work ethic, as well as the influence of Spencer's social Darwinism on US social policy. Elements of early ideological bias that reflected the moral failure of the poor are discussed with regard to early poor care and the Charity Organization Society movement, and are contrasted with the more pragmatic and compassionate approach of Jane Addams's Settlement House movement.• Findings: An argument is made that a resurgence of social Darwinism and secularized Reformed theology is currently reflected in contemporary political and economic movements, including welfare reform measures in PRWORA of 1996, and the related TANF program, which has had a devastating effect on the economically disadvantaged populations in the United States.• Application: Since social workers are on the front lines of social welfare policy development and practice, implication for social work education and practice are discussed emphasizing the importance of increased awareness of such damaging ideologies. Such awareness will lead to increased political discourse and advocacy for social welfare policy development and practice congruent with social work values.

Strengths and Stressors in a Population of Kinship Caregivers: Implications for Caseload Management and Administration

This article presents the results from 77 interviews with kinship caregivers participating in the child-only component of the TANF program. The authors interviewed caregivers using the Strengths and Stressors Tracking Device (SSTD). Key findings include: Most caregivers and their families possess significant strengths that can be used in a strengths-based approach to case management; environmental stress–-an acknowledged ecological correlate with potential for abuse and neglect–-is an area of strength; and permanency planning and long-term stability of the kinship care situation should be a major focus of social services and case managers. This research offers a valuable contribution to child welfare and kinship care literature because it provides evidence-based research to demonstrate the significant strengths in a caregiving population.

Cohabitation and Marriage Rules in State TANF Programs

Examines whether the recent push for marriage initiatives and the discretion afforded to states under welfare reform has translated into rules or regulations that favor marriage and discourage cohabitation.

Standing Still or Moving Up? Evidence from Wisconsin on the Long-Term Employment and Earnings of TANF Participants

This study identified the employment and earnings trajectories of welfare recipients over six years for a sample of 14,150 women who entered the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF) in Wisconsin in its first year. Wisconsin longitudinal administrative data were used to examine differential patterns of mid-term (three years) and long-term (six years) employment and earnings success. We developed a conceptual approach to categorizing participants' employment and earnings trajectory groups. Results indicate substantial diversity in employment and earnings patterns. Some women have consistently positive outcomes, others show steady improvements over time, and others have inconsistent patterns that end strong. We found that 46% of the sample fit into one of three successful employment trajectories, and 22% fit into one of three successful earnings trajectories. Results also reveal that many women who were successful in the mid-term were not able to sustain their progress. For example, only 56% of those who were earning successes in the mid-term were still successful in the long-term. Final]y, logistic regression models were used to compare the factors associated with mid-term and long-term success and with employment success and earnings success. Implications of findings are discussed. KEY WORDS: employment and earnings; poverty; social policy; TANF; welfare reform ********** Since the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996, welfare programs have aimed to move low-income women with children from welfare to work. In the past decade, the number of single-mother families receiving traditional cash assistance (now called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families [TANF]) has fallen dramatically, and employment rates have risen. However, much of the literature on the economic well-being of welfare recipients and welfare leavers suggests that many who have moved from welfare to work move in and out of the labor market frequently, are working for low wages, and have insufficient earnings to support a family above the poverty line without receiving public means-tested benefits. (For a discussion of post-TANF economic status, see Blank, 2006; Cancian & Meyer, 2004; Danziger, Heflin, Corcoran, Oltmans, & Wang, 2002; Grogger & Karoly, 2005; Johnson & Corcoran, 2003.) Most of the early studies on economic well-being of welfare recipients after welfare reform have examined employment, earnings, and income after leaving cash benefits over fairly short periods of time. Less is known about whether the short-term economic success (or lack of success) has persisted in the long-term. In this article, we use longitudinal administrative data to examine the employment and earnings trajectories of welfare recipients over six years for a sample of approximately 17,000 women who entered TANF in Wisconsin in its first year. We propose a method to characterize the six-year patterns of employment and earnings and consider differential patterns of mid-term (three years) and long-term (six years) employment and earnings success. We compare the factors associated with mid-term and long-term success. POLICY CONTEXT This article focuses on TANF participants in Wisconsin. Wisconsin's TANF program, called Wisconsin Works (W-2), was instituted in September 1997. W-2 consists of several and is structured to mirror the world of employment. Thus, individuals do not receive a cash payment unless they are working in a community service job, are engaged in a work-like activity (W-2 Transitions), or have a child younger than 13 weeks old (caretaker of newborn). In addition, individuals who are the most work-ready can receive a variety of services without receiving cash (case management). Individuals are expected to begin in the tier that corresponds to their level of work-readiness and to progress up the tiers until they no longer need any W-2 services. …

Watching the Clocks: The Role of Food Stamp Recertification and TANF Time Limits in Caseload Dynamics

We use administrative data to examine how “clock” policies—program time limits and recurring deadlines for confirming eligibility—affected participation in South Carolina’s TANF and Food Stamp Programs from 1996–2003. South Carolina’s TANF program limits most families to two years of benefits in any ten-year period; so, recipients began exhausting their eligibility as early as 1998. The state’s Food Stamp Program sets regular recertification intervals that can be distinguished from other calendar effects and increased these intervals after October 2002. We find that the two-year time limit reduced We use administrative data to examine how “clock” policies—program time limits and recurring deadlines for confirming eligibility—affected participation in South Carolina’s TANF and Food Stamp Programs from 1996–2003. South Carolina’s TANF program limits most families to two years of benefits in any ten-year period; so, recipients began exhausting their eligibility as early as 1998. The state’s Food Stamp Program sets regular recertification intervals that can be distinguished from other calendar effects and increased these intervals after October 2002. We find that the two-year time limit reduced TANF caseloads and that the longer recertification intervals increased food stamp caseloads.caseloads and that the longer recertification intervals increased food stamp caseloads.

The Philosophical Origins of the U.S. Welfare Policy: Controversial Ideologies behind the TANF Program

The Philosophical Origins of the U.S. Welfare Policy: Controversial Ideologies behind the TANF Program

Improving the Safety Net for Single Mothers Who Face Serious Barriers to Work

Rebecca Blank explores a weakness of the welfare reforms of the mid-1990s--the failure of the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program to address the plight of so-called "hard to employ" single mothers and their children. TANF has moved many women on the welfare caseload into work, but the services it provides are not intensive or flexible enough to meet the needs of women with multiple disadvantages who find it difficult to get and keep full-time employment. Blank notes that many of these women have lost welfare benefits because of their failure to find work. Increasingly, studies show that the number of single mothers who are neither working nor on welfare has grown significantly over the past ten years. Such "disconnected" women now make up 20 to 25 percent of all low-income single mothers, and reported income in these families is extremely low. Disconnected women are likely to report multiple and serious barriers to work, including low education, learning disabilities, health problems, or a history of domestic violence or substance abuse. Counting both longer-term welfare recipients and women who are neither working nor on welfare, Blank estimates that about 2.2 million women who head families are not able to find jobs or, if they do, cannot keep them. And almost 4 million children are in the care of these severely challenged single mothers. Blank proposes a Temporary and Partial Work Waiver Program to provide more effective employment assistance and other supports for these women and their children. The program she proposes would recognize that some women might be able to work only part-time or be temporarily unable to work. It would supplement their earnings while also offering referral to services that both address their own work barriers and provide help for their children. The support, however, would be temporary. Women would be regularly reassessed for their readiness to return to work or work more hours. Such a program, Blank notes, would require intensive case management. Estimating the cost of such a program is difficult, she explains, because costs would depend heavily on the number of women who participate. But she offers a rough estimate of $2.8 billion, some of which is already being spent as part of the current TANF program.

Barriers to Employment among TANF Applicants and Their Consequences for Self-Sufficiency

This article examines the prevalence of potential barriers to employment using data from a longitudinal study of 1,075 Milwaukee County parents who applied for assistance from Wisconsin's TANF program in 1999. It also examines whether those potential barriers were related to their subsequent employment and earnings. We find that many of these TANF applicants faced significant and often multiple barriers to employment. Moreover, these potential barriers were associated with both a reduction in their likelihood of being employed and lower earnings when they worked. The implications of these findings for welfare policy and practice are discussed.

The take-up of cash assistance among private kinship care families

Many children in private kinship care arrangements live in families that endure financial hardships. Even though these families are eligible for TANF child-only grants, only one in five receives cash assistance. The purpose of this study is to better understand the take-up of cash assistance for this group. Using national level data, we explore the relationships among child and caregiver characteristics and the receipt of cash assistance. We provide evidence that disadvantaged families are more likely to receive cash assistance than less disadvantaged families. For example, older caregivers and those with less education have higher take-up rates than their counterparts. Similarly, being poor and having received welfare in the past increase the likelihood that assistance is received. Nonetheless, it is important to note that take-up rates are low compared to other social programs. Our results suggest some possible reasons for this. For instance, our findings point to the possibility that many private kinship care families do not take-up cash assistance because they do not know that they are eligible for it through the TANF program. This suggests that outreach may improve participation. It also raises the issue of whether the receipt of cash assistance could be improved if benefits were provided through a program other than TANF.

Welfare, work, and health care access predictors of low-income children's physical health outcomes

This analysis examines whether young children's ( N = 494) general physical health is associated with parental employment, welfare receipt, and health care access within a low-income population transitioning from welfare to work. A latent physical health measure derived from survey and medical chart data is used to capture children's poor health, and parental ratings of child health are used to identify excellent health. Controlling for a host of factors associated with children's health outcomes, results show that children of caregivers who are unemployed and off welfare have better health than children of caregivers who are working and off welfare. Children whose caregivers are unemployed and on welfare, or combining work and welfare, have health outcomes similar to children of caregivers who are working and off welfare. Health care access characteristics, such as gaps in health insurance coverage, source of primary care setting, and type of health insurance are associated with children's general physical health. Implications of these results for state TANF programs are discussed.

Domestic Violence and Kinship Care

Domestic violence is known to have occurred in 40 to 70% of child welfare cases and has served in some capacity as the basis for removing the child from the birth home (Edleson, 1999). Kinship care is regarded as a growing option for many of these families. This conceptual article discusses the distinct ways that kinship care and domestic violence are linked. The authors discuss how silence, the rising incarceration of women, mistrust of the system, difficulty in securing services for survivors, and economic hardship create unique challenges that require attention at both the practice and policy levels. Policy interventions are proposed at the mezzo and macro levels. Recommendations include promoting the Family Violence Options under the TANF program. The article also discusses the unintended consequences the Adoption and Safe Families Act has in domestic violence situations. doi:10.1300/J045v22n03_05.

Applicants' Understanding of Wisconsin's TANF Program and Its Relationship to Other Programs for Low Income Families

This paper uses data from the Milwaukee TANF Applicant Study to examine what a sample of 1,075 TANF applicants from Milwaukee County knew about Wisconsin's TANF program and its relationship to other programs for low-income families. The data suggest that there were significant gaps in knowledge about the program both at the time of application and approximately 18 months later. Although there was a positive relationship between knowledge about the program and participation, even those who participated in the program were frequently confused. This confusion could also account for some of the discrepancies we found when we compared applicant self-reports to State administrative data.

Welfare and Welfare to Work in the United States

Summary Despite social work's historic ambivalence toward income support programs, the policy changes introduced by the TANF welfare to work program demand the profession's attention. Although social workers are not directly responsible for the administration or implementation of the program, many serve TANF clients whose lives have been affected by these changes. Tracing social work's historic but reluctant involvement with income support, this paper urges the profession to respond to the challenges posed by the TANF program in a more systematic way and to contribute more effectively to the wider task of poverty eradication.