Welfare Reform: The Next Act

Abstract

The welfare reform debate is not over, despite declarations of success from many politicians and commentators. Welfare Reform: The Next Act draws on six years of in-depth research to explore the implications of 1996's welfare reform . The authors examine all facets of the new system: its effects on family structure and children, its success in moving welfare recipients to work, its ability to reach hard-to-serve populations, its effects on immigrants, and its disproportionate impacts across racial and ethnic lines. It is the most rigorous and comprehensive analysis available--and an invaluable tool for determining how the new welfare system can meet the needs of vulnerable families through all phases of the economic cycle.