1. Evaluating Alternative Welfare-to-Work Approaches: Two-Year Impacts for Eleven Programs. National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies.
- Author
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Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (DHHS), Washington, DC., Department of Education, Washington, DC. Office of the Under Secretary., Office of Vocational and Adult Education (ED), Washington, DC., Administration for Children and Families (DHHS), Washington, DC., Manpower Demonstration Research Corp., New York, NY., Freedman, Stephen, Friedlander, Daniel, Hamilton, Gayle, Rock, JoAnn, Mitchell, Marisa, Nudelman, Jodi, Schweder, Amanda, and Storto, Laura
- Abstract
The 2-year impacts of 11 welfare-to-work programs across the United States were evaluated to determine the relative effectiveness of different approaches to moving individuals from welfare to work. All 11 programs operated under the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Program. Four programs were employment focused (three low-enforcement and one high-enforcement programs), and seven were education focused (five high-enforcement and two low-enforcement programs). Although the employment-focused programs produced larger gains in employment and earnings over the 2-year follow-up period, concern was expressed that their effects may not be sustained over the long term. Several education-focused programs began to show moderate impacts in year 2. All programs reduced welfare dependency to some degree. The programs did not have widespread, large, or consistent effects on sample members' children; however, positive and negative effects occurred in some programs. High-enforcement programs did not produce the largest impacts, but low-enforcement programs resulted in only small effects. (Ninety tables/figures are included. The following items are appended: supplementary tables and figures; information about family circumstances, child outcomes, and impacts for families with preschool-age children; a survey response analysis; and a comparison of impacts estimated from survey and unemployment insurance data. The bibliography lists 55 references.) (MN)
- Published
- 2000