Iowa's Family Investment Program: Two-Year Impacts. Executive Summary

摘要

In advance of implementing new welfare policies, Iowa changed the name of the211u001eprogram that provides cash assistance to families with dependent children from 211u001ethe 'Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) Program' to the 'Family 211u001eInvestment Program (FIP)' on July 1, 1993. Three months later, on October 1, 211u001e1993, acting under waivers of certain federal regulations, Iowa replaced the 211u001epolicies that had formerly governed the provision of assistance to low-income 211u001efamilies with a new set of policies. The new policies almost immediately came to 211u001ebe referred to as 'FIP.' Relative to AFDC policies, FIP policies place less 211u001eemphasis on maintaining the incomes of client families and more emphasis on 211u001eincreasing their participation in employment and training. To reinforce these 211u001eincentives, Iowa implemented complementary reforms to the Food Stamp Program that 211u001ealso provide enhanced incentives for employment and training. FIP and the welfare-211u001ereform Food Stamp Program anticipated the fundamental shift in welfare policy 211u001enationwide away from long-term income maintenance and toward temporary assistance 211u001eleading to employment that culminated in the passage of the federal Personal 211u001eResponsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996.