A Look at Welfare Reform and its Historical Development

i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to take this opportunity to thank my committee for all of your help in contributing to the final product of this research paper. Dr. Velazquez, thank you so much for believing in my work and in me as a student. When I started the MPA program, I did so just in hopes of taking a shot at gaining one more tool to create a path for a better life. Because of your help and support, you have made that hope a reality for me. Dr. Stewart, your passion for every subject you teach is contagious and encouraging to all students. Introduction Welfare in the United States has a rich history dating back to the Great Depression era. Although the welfare program is based upon the foundation of helping needy children, several reforms have since been added to include programs and policies from which all members of a family can now reap benefits. In 1996, President Bill Clinton reformed Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) with the Personal Public Law 104-193). This Act was the most crucial reform made to welfare since Franklin D. Roosevelt started the original program in 1935. The PRWORA created many changes to welfare, with the primary emphasis on moving families from welfare-to-work. By 1997, studies showed that welfare caseloads declined by as much as 31 % nationwide , while declines exceeded more than 50 % in states like Alabama, Colorado, and Human Services, 2002). These figures provided a seemingly strong indication that welfare reform was a success. While supporters insisted that the new welfare reform was a success, literature regarding this topic has had mixed conclusions about what actually led to the rapid decline of caseloads in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Critics of the reform argued that the reduction in welfare caseloads was simply due to a booming economy that allowed an increase in employment. Danielson and Klerman (2008), who presented an in-depth study of this topic, stated " It may be premature to characterize welfare reform as a dramatic 2 success, even from a restricted point of view of caseload reduction " (pg. 703). Criticisms also included claims that the welfare system still was not effective in moving welfare recipients from chronic dependency on the system (Danielson et al 2008). This paper will explore welfare reform in the United States and take a look at its development …