Place, Race And Work

While welfare caseloads have declined nationally in the past several years, the decline has not been uniform across states and cities.

1 minute read

September 11, 2001, 6:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen

Using unique administrative data for the Detroit area over the 1992-2000 period, this study shows that two of the most important factors influencing welfare-to-work outcomes - client characteristics and proximity to jobs - vary considerably even within metropolitan areas. Many of the harder-to-serve households remain concentrated in the city of Detroit, where earnings rates for adult participants are lower than for suburban clients. Moreover, the greater distance between recipients and job opportunities in the eastern half of the region leads to lower rates of work there than in the western suburbs. The paper concludes with recommendations for how welfare policy could better address the spatial realities of caseload dynamics and metropolitan labor markets.

Thanks to Brookings Institution

Read the full story: Place, Race and Work

Monday, September 10, 2001 in The Brookings Institution

Social / Demographics Illinois

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

Start Learning

Advertise with us

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.