Moving People from Welfare to Work

Lessons from the National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies

Submitted by:
Gayle Hamilton
Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation

Submitted to:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Administration for Children and Families
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation

U.S. Department of Education
Office of the Under Secretary
Office of Vocational and Adult Education

July 2002

This report is available on the Internet at:
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/NEWWS/synthesis02/

Contents

• List of Tables, Figures, and Boxes
• Acknowledgments
• Funders

Introduction and Overview

Chapters:

1. The National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies
   • Program Context
   • Sites and Programs
   • Research Design
   • NEWWS and Current Welfare Initiatives
2. The Status Quo and the Interventions
   • Control Group Outcomes: How do welfare recipients fare in the absence of welfare-to-work programs?
   • Participation in Education and Training : Can mandatory welfare-to-work programs engage large numbers of people in education and training?
   • Participation in Other Activities: What are typical patterns of participation in other types of program activities?
3. Effects on Education Outcomes
   • GED and Other Credential Receipt: Do welfare-to-work programs' investments in education and training result in higher rates of credential attainment?
   • Gains in Skills: Do welfare-to-work programs' investments in education and training result in higher skills?
   • Adult Education: What factors enhance or diminish its beneficial effects?
4. Effects on Economic Outcomes
   • Net Impacts: How effective are different types of welfare-to-work programs?
   • Relative Impacts: Which types of programs are generally most effective?
   • The LFA Approach Versus the HCD Approach: In head-to-head tests, which is more effective?
   • The Most Effective Program: What were its distinguishing features?
   • Subgroup Findings: Which types of programs work best for which groups of welfare recipients?
   • Education and Training Reconsidered: Can they be made more effective?
5. Effects on Families and Children
   • Family Circumstances: Can programs have long-term spillover effects on family outcomes such as marriage and fertility?
   • Children's Well-Being: How might programs that have mandates and services but leave income unchanged affect children in the long run?
6. Other Lessons
   • Income: How can welfare-to-work programs increase family resources?
   • Case Management: Do different strategies yield different results?
   • Participation Standards: What does it take to engage a substantial proportion of people in welfare-to-work program activities?
   • Mandate Enforcement: What role does enforcing mandates play in program effectiveness?
7. Costs and Benefits
   • Costs: What contributes to the cost of welfare-to-work programs?
   • Costs Relative to Benefits: What is the government's financial return on its investment in welfare-to-work programs?
8. Conclusion

• Appendix: NEWWS Program Summaries
• List of Tables, Figures, and Boxes
  • Tables
    • 1 Questions Addressed in This Document and Primary Source Materials
    • 2 NEWWS Programs, Categorized by Approach, First Activity, and Enforcement Level
    • 3 Sample Members' Characteristics at Study Entry
    • 4 Comparison of Case Management Approaches
    • 5 Methods of Calculating Participation Rates
    • 6 Sanctioning and Participation Rates and Impacts on Participation, by Enforcement Level
    • 7 Returns to Government Budgets over Five Years
    • A Summary of NEWWS Program Activities, Environments, and Results
  • Figures
    1. Participation in Education and Training over Five Years
    2. Impacts on Participation over Two Years, by Activity and Program Type
    3. Receipt of a High School Diploma or GED over Five Years
    4. Earnings over Five Years, by Program Type
    5. Welfare Payments over Five Years, by Program Type
    6. Earnings over Five Years, by Program
    7. Impacts on Welfare and Food Stamp Payments over Five Years, by Program
    8. Impacts on Earnings, by Approach and Year
    9. Impacts on Welfare Receipt, by Approach and Year
    10. Reasons for Nonparticipation in a Typical Month
  • Boxes
    1. Why Impacts Are Better than Outcomes for Assessing Program Effectiveness
    2. What Makes Up Impacts on Earnings?
• Selected Publications from this Evaluation

Where to?

Top of Page
[ Main Page of Report | Contents of Report ]

Home Pages:
National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies (NEWWS)
Human Services Policy (HSP)
Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Last updated: 07/23/02