Journal of Political Economy Vol. 130 No. 3 2022
Welfare Reform and the Intergenerational Transmission of Dependence
Abstract
We investigate the effect of welfare reform on intergenerational welfare participation, using mother-daughter pairs in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. We find that a mother’s Aid to Families with Dependent Children/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (AFDC/TANF) participation increased her daughter’s odds of adult participation in that program by roughly 25 percentage points or more, but that welfare reform attenuated this transmission by at least 50%. However, there is no diminution of transmission after welfare reform when we consider the wider safety net or other outcomes. Daughters who grew up with mothers on AFDC/TANF were no better off after reform, with substitution toward other welfare programs over generations.
- DOI
- 10.1086/717893
- Volume
- 130
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 523-565
- Language
- en
- Sources
- openalex crossref bibtex:phds-export.bib