Welfare Dynamics in Texas: An Exploratory Analysis of AFDC Turnover and Program Participation Final Report

The complex relationship between welfare and work has been the subject of considerable controversy and substantial research for as long as public assistance programs have been in existence. Issues studied in this research have ranged from the degree to which guaranteed benefit levels affect labor force participation and family stability, the impact of a variety of program treatments on the earnings and dependency of recipients, and long-term welfare entry and exit The current project extends to Texas recent nationally-oriented research efforts into the patterns of and the factors associated with welfare turnover. It represents a very preliminary, exploratory analysis into welfare dynamics and program participation among caretakers in the Texas Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC} system and is the product of diverse but related efforts.