Movements from Welfare to Work: building capital in the next generation
Rebekah Levine Coley
Boston College, U.S.
Contact Email:   coleyrebc.edu

In the United States, a primary argument for reforming the public welfare system was to improve the lives of poor children. Policy makers argued that moving poor women from welfare into employment would improve the financial stability, regularity, and functioning of families, therefore benefiting children’s development. Although few changes have been found in poor children’s development in the years following welfare reform in the US, little research has assessed whether the proposed intervening processes have changed. More immediate effects on family environments could, in the longer term, help to build social and economic capital in the next generation.

The proposed paper analyzes data from a representative sample of 2,000 low-income American families in the years following welfare reform. Autoregressive models found that mothers’ movements into stable employment predicted substantial increases in income, improvements in mothers’ psychological functioning, and declines in food insecurity. Sustained or initiated welfare receipt, on the other hand, was related to declines in income, physical health, and psychological functioning, but also to improved access to medical care. In contrast, few effects on parenting or the home environment were found. Results are discussed in relation to potential long-term effects on the creation of capital in the next generation.

Paper Download Information (if available):

Copyright © 2007 Social Policy Research Centre.