Importance Of Place In Welfare Reform

Most studies that examine the role of place in welfare reform generalizethe experiences of urban and rural areas. This paper reviews existingliterature to summarize the state of knowledge about the uniquecommonalities and differences in the welfare to work challenge in urbanand rural places. It then presents new evidence that examines howoutcomesunder welfare reform differ for families in central cities, suburbs,nearrural counties and remote rural areas. The study finds that singlemothersin cities and remote rural areas were more likely to receive publicassistance, had higher poverty rates, and had lower earnings than theircounterparts in suburban and metro-adjacent rural areas in the 1990s,evenas their work effort increased. The authors offer several policyrecommendations for federal welfare reauthorization that would helpstatesmeet the added challenge of helping low-income individuals from bothcities and remote-rural areas to succeed in the workforce, including:continued state flexibility in implementation, dedicated funding fortransitional jobs programs, and better transportation options forworkersisolated from job opportunities.

Thanks to Brookings Institution