Did Welfare Reform End the Safety Net as We Knew It? The Record since 1996
考察1996年福利改革后低收入家庭安全网的演变，发现总支持更慷慨但转向税收抵免和实物福利，对工作家庭扩大而对无收入者减少，且州际差异未因联邦援助扩大而增长。
This paper examines the evolution of the safety net for low-income families since welfare reform in 1996 promised to “end welfare as we know it.” The total package of supports has become substantially more generous, but has changed in character. Support has shifted away from monthly cash transfers towards tax credits and in-kind benefits, and has expanded for working families while declining for those without earnings. Resources available to married-parent families have expanded, whereas those for adults without dependents remain scant. We also document that, despite expanded state flexibilities, variability in generosity across states did not grow due to simultaneous expansions of federal food assistance and tax credits. Overall, these changes reflect ongoing contention over two key policy issues. First, what is the appropriate trade-off between promoting work versus preventing material hardship? Second, what is the appropriate role for states versus the federal government in determining safety net generosity?