The Welfare Debate

The controversy over how to help poor people largely boils down to tension between the rhetoric of the "good Samaritan" and that of those who fear creating dependency and corruption, says Illinois Wesleyan University Associate Professor of Political Science Greg Shaw. In his new book, Shaw examines the history and rhetoric that have led to a stalemate in the discussion of welfare in America.

Did Welfare Reform Work?

We know that the welfare case load fell and that work increased following the passage of welfare reform legislation in 1996. But how did this affect children, family structure, and incomes of recipients? Bowdoin College economist John Fitzgerald's demographic studies of government welfare and anti-poverty programs showed little, if any, decline in single motherhood as a result of reforms partially aimed at reducing the number of unwed mothers.