Andrea Hetling

Symbolism Versus Policy Learning Public Opinion of the 1996 U.S. Welfare Reforms

The logic of democracy rests on the assumption that policymakers respond to public preferences, which, in turn, respond to policy developments. We address the question of how policy might affect public opinion by analyzing public opinion before and after the 1996 U.S. Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. We hypothesized that changes made by the legislation would have improved opinions of welfare recipients. Using U.S. surveys from 1994 and 2001, we find that public opinion was more positive postreform and that the change was because of the enactment of welfare reform itself, not any perceived program success.

Examining the Impact of the Family Violence Option on Women's Efforts to Leave Welfare

Objective: The establishment of the Family Violence Option (FVO) in 1997 was met with some controversy, as critics believed waivers from time limit and work requirements would hinder womens ability to leave welfare and find employment. Method: Using administrative and interview data from Maryland, multivariate equations analyze if domestic violence disclosure, administrative documentation, or waiver use had a statistically significant affect on one year employment and welfare use outcomes of individuals. Results: Waiver holders did not differ fromnonvictims, but victims who are not documented received fewer months of welfare and earned less income. Conclusions: Findings do not indicate that FVOwaivers encourage women to stay on welfare longer. However, the poor outcomes of undocumented victims indicate that some individuals may be slipping through the cracks of a well-intentioned policy.

Lost Leavers: Uncovering the Circumstances of Those Without Welfare and Without Work

An increasing number of people no longer enrolled in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) experience periods of “disconnection” after exiting the welfare program. The present research, based on data from a large longitudinal state welfare leaver study, explores the circumstances and characteristics of welfare leavers who receive no formal employment earnings but do not return to cash assistance for at least 1 year after exiting welfare. Using a variety of administrative program data and welfare caseworker notes, the size of the various subgroups within the disconnected population and their possible needs were examined. Cluster analysis revealed 6 important subgroups with differing needs and barriers. The findings focus on policy implications, particularly in relation to the Congressional reauthorization of TANF.

What Is Economic Self-Sufficiency? Validating a Measurement Scale for Policy, Practice, and Research

ABSTRACT Economic self-sufficiency has emerged as a policy goal of antipoverty programs in many nations. Although the policy direction of these programs is clear, the definition and measurement of economic self-sufficiency is not. This study revisits a scale that was designed in 1993 and has experienced a growth in use after two decades of little attention. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and bivariate correlations, the scale’s validity was tested with a sample of low-income survivors of intimate partner violence. The discussion focuses on how the resulting Scale of Economic Self-Sufficiency–14 (SESS-14) relates to policy, practice, and research.

“We Live in a Technological Era, Whether You Like It or Not”: Client Perspectives and Online Welfare Applications

A growing number of state welfare agencies are using the Internet to communicate with potential and current clients. Although public management benefits are clear, little is known about client perspectives. This mixed-methods research project examines the topics of application security, reliability, appropriateness, and ease of use, and personal experiences of potential users to understand opinions of online welfare applications. Focus group findings highlight direct benefits, such as speed and ease of use, and indirect benefits, such as holding caseworkers accountable and avoiding unpleasant office conditions. Study participants also identified exceptions like emergencies and applicants with special needs. Despite mixed feelings, many participants preferred online applications to in-person, worker-led eligibility interviews.

Permanent supportive housing for domestic violence victims: program theory and client perspectives

The US Violence Against Women Act of 2005 allocated

The Relationship between State Welfare Rules and Economic Disconnection among Low-Income Single Mothers

10 million to support collaborative efforts to create permanent housing options for domestic violence victims. Such programs are relatively new and rare, and up to now little research has examined their efficacy. This research investigates one permanent housing option, the permanent supportive housing model, through an exploratory case study of a Connecticut-based program currently being developed. The study compares the program design articulated by administrators and advocates with perspectives of domestic violence agency clients. Findings indicate important differences between the program activities and goals articulated by administrators, and those preferred by clients. Although everyone agreed that personal safety was a priority, administrators stressed independence and choice whereas clients sought a stricter, community-centered environment with time-limited stays. These themes can be used to develop hypotheses for larger studies and have important preliminary policy and program implications.

Financial Literacy and Economic Empowerment of Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: Examining the Differences Between Public Assistance Recipients and Nonrecipients

The proportion of low-income single mothers who are disconnected, or not receiving public cash assistance or employment earnings, has increased since the 1996 US welfare reform legislation. Using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation and the Welfare Rules Database, we use multilevel and multinomial logit models to examine the relationship between state welfare rules and the risk of disconnection. We find that women in states with lifetime limits of less than 60 months are more likely to be disconnected. More generous welfare benefits are associated with a lesser risk of disconnection, while diversion programs are associated with a greater risk of disconnection compared to welfare receipt but are not significant in comparison to employment. Our findings indicate that state rules matter and should be considered as a potential mechanism to change the dynamics of economic disconnection.

Do Welfare Avoidance Grants Prevent Cash Assistance

Financial literacy helps build economic empowerment and self-sufficiency among economically vulnerable groups. This article explores the effect of financial literacy on the economic empowerment of survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) and investigates whether the relationship might differ for women receiving public assistance. Using survey data from 120 survivors of IPV, regression models examine the direct and interactive effects of financial literacy and public assistance receipt. Findings indicate that though being a public assistance recipient seems to be related to higher levels of economic empowerment, this effect disappears when controlling for financial literacy levels and their interaction with benefit status.

Measuring Financial Strain in the Lives of Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

Cash diversion strategies, a 1996 U.S. welfare reform innovation, are intended to alleviate short‐term crises and prevent the need for ongoing cash assistance among certain welfare applicants. Using administrative data, this work compares the welfare outcomes of Maryland Welfare Avoidance Grant recipients from October 1998 to September 2000 \documentclass{aastex} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{bm} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{pifont} \usepackage{stmaryrd} \usepackage{textcomp} \usepackage{portland,xspace} \usepackage{amsmath,amsxtra} \usepackage[OT2,OT1]{fontenc} \newcommand\cyr{ \renewcommand\rmdefault{wncyr} \renewcommand\sfdefault{wncyss} \renewcommand\encodingdefault{OT2} \normalfont \selectfont} \DeclareTextFontCommand{\textcyr}{\cyr} \pagestyle{empty} \DeclareMathSizes{10}{9}{7}{6} \begin{document} \landscape