Why did the welfare rolls fall during the 1990's? the importance of entry

摘要

During the late 1990's, the welfare caseload fell precipitously. Whereas 5 million families received cash welfare in 1994, only 2.1 million families received aid in 2000. As a fraction of the U.S. populationl, this represents the lowest level of welfare receipt since 1964 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2002). The decline in the caseload could have resulted from a decrease in entries, an increase in exits, or some combination of the two. Although a number of studies have analyzed welfare exits, either implicitly or explicitly, few have focused on welfare entries.