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The Washington State Family Independence Program (FIP) is a welfare reform program designed to help families become more economically self-sufficient. It was expected to increase participation in education, training, and employment, which would in turn reduce welfare participation. However, relative to traditional welfare, FIP had little or no impact on education and training, it reduced employment and earnings a little, and it increased welfare participation substantially. The authors present data gathered by the Urban Institute over five years and analyze the reasons for FIP's failure to meet its original goals.

The Washington State Family Independence Program (FIP) is a welfare reform program designed to help families become more economically self-sufficient. It was expected to increase participation in education, training, and employment, which would in turn reduce welfare participation. However, relative to traditional welfare, FIP had little or no impact on education and training, it reduced employment and earnings a little, and it increased welfare participation substantially. The authors present data gathered by the Urban Institute over five years and analyze the reasons for FIP's failure to meet its original goals.

Before buying into anyone's vision of where public policy should go, we must think seriously about where we are now. This includes our economic and social structure, our government as a prominent feature of that landscape, and the way we currently make political decisions. The authors' views of where we are now lead them to propose a rethinking of our commitments as a society, our public responsibilities, and our processes for making policy choices--a rethinking that can help make government more responsive to changing expectations and changing needs.

The rising poverty and unemployment rates triggered by the recession are stark reminders of the need for a secure social safety net. Such programs should provide economic security, protect vulnerable families, and promote equality—but the United States falls behind other countries in accomplishing these goals. In Repairing the U.S. Social Safety Net, Martha R. Burt and Demetra Smith Nightingale encourage strengthening the safety net and making a national commitment to end poverty.

What directions should workforce policy in the U.S. take over the next few decades in light of major labor market developments that will likely occur—such as the retirements of baby boomers and continuing globalization? This new volume edited by Harry J. Holzer and Demetra Smith Nightingale presents fresh thoughts on the topic. This book offers policy discussions that are firmly grounded in strong research and that address the critical workforce issues of the coming years. Read more about this book

The debate about replacing welfare with work neglects some important facts. Most people on welfare can work, but many of the jobs available to them pay too little to support a family. Other welfare recipients have such serious problems that they cannot work. Reform can be effective only if it makes work pay--with supplements for the lowest-wage jobs, public work for those who cannot find a job, investment in education and training for the next generation, and alternative obligations for those who cannot work.

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