-
The Future of Children 2002For the changes under welfare reform to positively affect children, the gains that mothers make from employment must lead to improvements in children's daily settings at... (Review)
Review
For the changes under welfare reform to positively affect children, the gains that mothers make from employment must lead to improvements in children's daily settings at home, in child care, at school, or in the community. This article focuses on the role child care can play in promoting the development of, and life opportunities for, low-income children. Key observations include: Total federal and state funding for child care for welfare and working poor families has increased dramatically since welfare reform, from $2.8 billion in 1995 to $8.0 billion in 2000. The majority of welfare mothers tend to rely on informal child care arrangements when first participating in welfare-to-work programs, but as they move off welfare and into more stable jobs, they are more likely to choose a center or a family child care home. Although children from poor households stand to benefit the most from high-quality care, they are less likely to be enrolled in high-quality programs than are children from affluent families, partly due to uneven access to high-quality options in their neighborhoods. Less than one-quarter of all eligible families use child care subsidies, and usage varies widely across states and local areas reflecting various barriers to access and scarcity of quality center-based care. The authors conclude that to achieve welfare reform's ultimate goal of breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty and dependence on government benefits, welfare-to-work programs should promote learning and development among children in welfare and working poor families by increasing access to high-quality child care in low-income neighborhoods.
Topics: Child; Child Care; Child Welfare; Child, Preschool; Health Planning; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Public Assistance; Quality of Health Care; United States
PubMed: 11980041
DOI: No ID Found -
The Journal of Nervous and Mental... Jun 2002Drawing on Durkheim's theory of social integration, this discussion reports on findings from a pooled time-series analysis of states' spending for public welfare and...
Drawing on Durkheim's theory of social integration, this discussion reports on findings from a pooled time-series analysis of states' spending for public welfare and their suicide rates, controlling for states' divorce rates, population change rates, population density, unemployment rates, sex ratio, and racial composition. The analysis spans a 35-year period, 1960 to 1995, at six different data points: 1960, 1970, 1980, 1985, 1990, and 1995. The major hypothesis was that states' suicide rates would increase with decreases in per capita spending for public welfare, controlling for the variables listed above in three different models and using OLS to analyze the data. In the basic model, states' spending for public welfare showed no relationship to states' suicide rates; in the second model that controlled for data year and in the third model that controlled for both data year and state, its relationship was significant, but in a negative direction. Suicide rates increased in states that reduced their per capita expenditures for public welfare during the observational period. Of all the variables, the influence of divorce on suicide was the most persistent and pronounced, followed by the percentage of whites in states' populations. Whether the findings reflect an increase in the unendurable psychological pain associated with suicide, or the weakening of ties that bind individuals to each other and to the larger society (as measured by states' divorce rates and per capita expenditures for public welfare), or the vulnerabilities associated with race, states can help counter suicide trends and such negative influences as divorce as evidenced by states that spend more for public welfare and have lower suicide rates. Given that clinicians work with people experiencing the unendurable psychological pain associated with suicide, the findings from these analyses have relevance for their practice.
Topics: Black or African American; Capital Expenditures; Demography; Divorce; Female; Financing, Government; Group Processes; Humans; Male; Models, Economic; Population Density; Population Dynamics; Public Assistance; Sex Distribution; Social Welfare; Sociology; State Government; Suicide; Unemployment; United States; White People
PubMed: 12080203
DOI: 10.1097/00005053-200206000-00001 -
Canadian Review of Sociology = Revue... Aug 2009In the late 1990s, the Canadian social assistance policy changed to focus on reducing "dependency" or long-term receipt. Using data from the Survey of Labour and Income...
In the late 1990s, the Canadian social assistance policy changed to focus on reducing "dependency" or long-term receipt. Using data from the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (1996-2001) and event history models, we investigate the duration of social assistance receipt for lone mothers and other household heads. We find that lone mothers' education and labor force experience were less important predictors for their duration on social assistance than their previous marital history. Although receipt was generally short term, we find evidence of negative duration dependence, or a "welfare trap," after controlling for unobserved heterogeneity. This indicates one way in which a welfare receipt is not only the result of particular life course trajectories but also shapes lives.
Topics: Canada; Data Collection; Family Characteristics; Female; History, 20th Century; Humans; Marriage; Mothers; Proportional Hazards Models; Public Assistance; Public Policy; Single Parent; Social Class; Social Welfare; Time Factors
PubMed: 20027749
DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-618x.2009.01211.x -
Social Work Jul 2002The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, widely heralded as the "end to welfare as we know it," is in its sixth year of implementation. According to... (Review)
Review
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, widely heralded as the "end to welfare as we know it," is in its sixth year of implementation. According to many, the welfare debate has been settled, and both legislators and the public have proclaimed the program a success. This article examines the accumulated data on the effect of welfare reform, which shows, contrary to popular opinion, the goal of self-sufficiency remains elusive for many, and poor women and their families are being hurt, not helped, by TANF. It is argued that the booming economy and consequent expanding labor market have led to the perceived success of TANF and that the optimism expressed about dwindling welfare rolls is misplaced. The failure of TANF to adequately address obstacles to self-sufficiency in the workplace threatens to create an even worse welfare problem in the future. During the TANF evaluation period, social workers are urged to take a more active role in urging TANF modifications.
Topics: Aid to Families with Dependent Children; Child; Child Welfare; Consumer Advocacy; Employment; Female; Humans; Program Evaluation; Public Assistance; Social Welfare; Social Work; United States
PubMed: 12194407
DOI: 10.1093/sw/47.3.279 -
Archivos de La Sociedad Espanola de... Jul 2007
Topics: Activities of Daily Living; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Child; Disabled Persons; Government Agencies; Home Care Services; Humans; Middle Aged; National Health Programs; Public Assistance; Social Welfare; Spain; Vision Disorders
PubMed: 17647112
DOI: 10.4321/s0365-66912007000700001 -
Federal Register Apr 2010This final rule implements the statutory change to section 404(e) of the Social Security Act as enacted by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This...
This final rule implements the statutory change to section 404(e) of the Social Security Act as enacted by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This change allows States, Tribes and Territories to use Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program funds carried over from a prior year for any allowable TANF benefit, service or activity. Previously these funds could be used only to provide assistance. This final rule applies to States, local governments, and Tribes that administer the TANF program.
Topics: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; Family; Humans; Medical Assistance; Public Assistance; Social Security; United States
PubMed: 20387315
DOI: No ID Found -
The American Economic Review Apr 2016We estimate the long-run impact of cash transfers to poor families on children's longevity, educational attainment, nutritional status, and income in adulthood. To do...
We estimate the long-run impact of cash transfers to poor families on children's longevity, educational attainment, nutritional status, and income in adulthood. To do so, we collected individual-level administrative records of applicants to the Mothers' Pension program-the first government-sponsored welfare program in the United States (1911-1935)-and matched them to census, WWII, and death records. Male children of accepted applicants lived one year longer than those of rejected mothers. They also obtained one-third more years of schooling, were less likely to be underweight, and had higher income in adulthood than children of rejected mothers.
Topics: Child; Educational Status; Eligibility Determination; Health Status; Humans; Income; Longevity; Nutritional Status; Poverty; Public Assistance; Social Welfare; United States
PubMed: 28713169
DOI: 10.1257/aer.20140529 -
Australian and New Zealand Journal of... Oct 2020
Topics: Community Health Services; Congresses as Topic; Health Status Disparities; Ill-Housed Persons; Humans; Public Assistance; Public Health; Social Determinants of Health; Social Problems
PubMed: 32955765
DOI: 10.1111/1753-6405.13034 -
Gesundheitswesen (Bundesverband Der... Sep 2016Prevention and reduction of poverty are key elements of social welfare policy in Germany. This study is the first analysis of self-rated health of individuals that...
BACKGROUND
Prevention and reduction of poverty are key elements of social welfare policy in Germany. This study is the first analysis of self-rated health of individuals that escape poverty by benefiting form public transfers.
METHODS
Analyses are based on the German Socio-economic Panel (GSOEP) of 2010. Self-rated health was based on subjective assessment of general health status. Subjects were directly asked about receipt of public transfers. Income poverty was based on the equalized disposable income and is applied to a threshold of 60% of the median-based average income. We analyzed the association between self-rated health and pre- and post-transfer poverty by means of descriptive analyses and binary logistic regression.
RESULTS
After adjusting for age, we found a significantly higher risk of poor self-rated health among those who escaped income poverty due to the receipt of social transfers compared to others (ORWomen: 1.85; 95%-CI: 1.27-2.69; ORMen: 2.57; 95%-CI: 1.63-4.05), in particular to those at risk of post-transfer poverty. These poverty-related inequalities in health were predominantly explained by nationality, occupational status, household type and long-term care within the household.
CONCLUSION
This study provides first evidence that the receipt of public transfers is associated with increased risk of poor health in the light of impending income-poverty. This study adds to the current debate about the social and health implications of public transfers in the relationship between poverty and health.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Diagnostic Self Evaluation; Female; Germany; Health Status; Health Status Disparities; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Poverty; Public Assistance; Social Security; Socioeconomic Factors; Young Adult
PubMed: 26630447
DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1564206 -
American Journal of Public Health Jan 2003Many uninsured Americans are already eligible for free or low-cost public coverage through Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) but do not "take up"... (Review)
Review
Many uninsured Americans are already eligible for free or low-cost public coverage through Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) but do not "take up" that coverage. However, several other public programs, such as food stamps and unemployment insurance, also have less-than-complete take-up rates, and take-up rates vary considerably among programs. This article examines the take-up literature across a variety of programs to learn what effects nonfinancial features, such as administrative complexity, have on take-up. We find that making benefit receipt automatic is the most effective means of ensuring high take-up, while there is little evidence that stigma is important.
Topics: Aid to Families with Dependent Children; Community Participation; Eligibility Determination; Health Services Research; Humans; Insurance, Health; Medicaid; Medically Uninsured; Medicare; Public Assistance; Social Security; United States
PubMed: 12511389
DOI: 10.2105/ajph.93.1.67