RTI uses cookies to offer you the best experience online. By clicking “accept” on this website, you opt in and you agree to the use of cookies. If you would like to know more about how RTI uses cookies and how to manage them please view our Privacy Policy here. You can “opt out” or change your mind by visiting: http://optout.aboutads.info/. Click “accept” to agree.
Family economic well-being following the 1996 welfare reform
Trend data from five non-experimental panel studies
Slack, K. S., Magnuson, K., Berger, L., Yoo, J., Coley, R. L., Dunifon, R., Dworsky, A., Kalil, A., Knab, J., Lohman, B. J., & Osborne, C. (2007). Family economic well-being following the 1996 welfare reform: Trend data from five non-experimental panel studies. Children and Youth Services Review, 29(6), 698-720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2006.12.002
This analysis summarizes trends in family economic well-being from five non-experimental, longitudinal welfare-to-work studies launched following the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA). The studies include a sizable group of parents and other caregivers who received TANF at the point of sample selection or shortly thereafter, and share a wide range of similar measures of economic well-being. This analysis provides descriptive information on how these families are faring over time. Our results confirm what has been found by previous studies. Many families remain dependent on public benefits, and are either poor or near-poor, despite gains in some indicators of economic well-being. We caution that these aggregate statistics may mask important heterogeneity among families.
