Welfare Realities: From Rhetoric to Reform

Mary Jo Bane and David Ellwood examine the American welfare system--its recipients, its providers, and the swirl of policy ideas surrounding it--with objectivity and clarity. Focusing on the AFDC Program (Aid to Families with Dependent Children), they identify three models that have been used to explain "welfare dependency" and test them against an accumulating body of evidence, offering suggestions for identifying potential long-term recipients so that resources can be targeted to encourage self-sufficiency.