September 15, 2021
You’re Right, Senator Manchin: There Are No Work Requirements in Biden’s New Safety Net
Since bipartisan welfare reform passed in 1996, parents seeking cash assistance from the federal government…
November 13, 2019
Work, Family, and Community
Abstract The contributions to this volume make clear that the social safety net in the…
November 30, 2018
The Farm Bill: On SNAP, Congress Chooses Welfare over Work Once Again
So it looks as though the farm bill is going to pass through Congress without…
September 7, 2018
Closing Argument on Farm Bill: Work Requirements in SNAP Will Reduce Poverty
With Congress considering adding work requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food…
September 6, 2018
Work Puts Food on the Table
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Wednesday released its findings on food insecurity in…
August 1, 2018
How Effective Are Work Requirements?
US safety-net programs already use work requirements to address potential work disincentives, and evidence suggests they increase employment and earnings among recipients capable of work. Critics often cite welfare-to-work experiments from the 1990s as evidence against work requirements, but the most relevant programs in those evaluations—“jobs-first” approaches that emphasized rapid employment—produced substantial gains in work and earnings. Although research on work requirements in programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid is more limited and subject to measurement challenges, broader evidence indicates that participation in safety-net programs can reduce employment incentives, implying that work requirements could offset those effects.
July 13, 2018
New CEA Report Highlights Welfare’s Disincentives, and Suggests How to Fix Them
The president’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) has a new report out on the relationship between large…
June 4, 2018
For SNAP to Work, It Must Emphasize More Work
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps) has a significant flaw: It does…
April 11, 2018
Work, Welfare, and Trump
Though President Trump spoke in his inaugural address about replacing welfare with work, his efforts in pursuing…
March 15, 2018
Employment Requirements in Benefit Programs Needed to Reduce Poverty
Chairman Guthrie, Ranking Member Davis, and members of the committee: Thank you for the opportunity…
November 9, 2017
Seema Verma’s Modest Proposal for Medicaid
Federal and state antipoverty efforts over the past decade can be characterized as a relentless…
February 2, 2017
Will Trump Choose Work over Welfare?
In his inaugural address, President Trump promised to “get our people off of welfare and back to…