RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 AFDC, SSI, and Welfare Reform Aggressiveness
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 792
OP 812
DO 10.3368/jhr.XXXIX.3.792
VO XXXIX
IS 3
A1 Schmidt, Lucie
A1 Sevak, Purvi
YR 2004
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/XXXIX/3/792.abstract
AB Welfare reform has made receipt of cash benefits more difficult and less attractive for single mothers. We examine whether reforms of AFDC affected caseloads of another program—Supplemental Security Income (SSI). We exploit state variation in welfare reform over time, and find that femaleheaded households in states aggressively pursuing welfare reform were 21.6 percent more likely to receive SSI. This implies that a decrease in caseloads in one program cannot be interpreted as an equal-sized decrease in the number of families receiving public assistance. In addition, our results have policy implications for the well-being of families affected by welfare reform time limits.