The effects of time limits and make-work-pay strategies on the well-being of children: Experimental evidence from two welfare reform programs

Presents 2 experimental studies of welfare reform programs which examined the effects of time limits and make-work-pay strategies on young school-age children 3 years after their mothers entered the programs (aged 2-9 yrs at study entry; aged 5-12 yrs at follow-up). Focal questions included (1) the effects of the programs on the employment behavior and economic well-being of single mothers and (2) the effects of the programs on child outcomes and on different domains of children's development. Subjects included 879 children whose mothers participated in the Minnesota Family Investment Program and 1,469 children whose mothers participated in Connecticut's Jobs First program. The results show that welfare policies with generous earned income disregards can both increase family income and improve children's outcomes, even when such disregards are coupled with a short time limit. While the effects on children were neither large nor numerous, these findings suggest that it is possible for welfare policy to succeed at improving young children's development and, at the same time, increase parents' self-sufficiency. Such information is critical for policymakers as they design the next phase of welfare policy in the wake of welfare reform reauthorization.