Reducing the Generosity and Increasing the Conditionality of Welfare Benefits for People with Disability: “Turning the Supertanker” or “Squeezing the Balloon”?*
研究澳大利亚残疾人福利改革的效果，发现将部分残疾申请人转向失业福利后，他们退出福利的概率增加，但更多人后来重新领取福利，改革对12或24个月后领取福利的比例无影响。
Abstract We compare outcomes of disability benefit applicants before and after a major Australian reform of disability benefits, with two groups of applicants who fulfilled the same medical impairment criteria accepted or rejected based only on application date. The reform reduced the generosity and increased the conditionality of welfare payments by shifting partially disabled claimants from disability benefits to unemployment benefits. This led to increases in the probability not only of switching out of unemployment benefits on to alternative benefits, but also of exiting welfare altogether. However, because those who exited had a higher probability of subsequently returning to welfare, the reform had no impact on the proportion receiving welfare 12 or 24 months later.