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Welfare Reform in Iowa

How did welfare families in Iowa fare after the implementation of reforms designed to promote self-sufficiency and family stability? Did they adapt to the change, or did their well-being take a turn for the worse?

Mathematica evaluated welfare reform in Iowa from 1994 to 2002. Researchers took an in-depth look at Iowa's Family Investment Program (FIP) and Limited Benefit Plan (LBP—a sanction for those on FIP who failed to comply with work requirements). Additional study components included:

• Iowa data linkage public use file
• Child impact study
• TANF leavers
• Post-employment services
• Work and welfare

Welfare reform in Iowa succeeded in getting welfare recipients into training and then into jobs. However, the reforms did not always succeed in raising family income and may have reduced it for some families. Furthermore, researchers noted negative impacts on some measures of family and child well-being, including less marriage among those who started receiving welfare after the reforms started.

Publications

"The Evaluation of Welfare Reform in Iowa. Final Impact Report" (June 2002)  Executive Summary (June 2002)
"Nonrespondents and Nonresponse Bias: Evidence from a Survey of Former Welfare Recipients in Iowa" (June 2002)
"Iowa Families That Left TANF: How Are They Faring Two Years Later?" (February 2002)
"Delivering Employment Retention and Advancement Services: A Process Study of Iowa's Post-Employment Pilot Program" (May 2001)
“Iowa Families That Left TANF: Why Did They Leave and How Are They Faring?" (February 2001)
“Iowa's Family Investment Program: Impacts During the First 3-1/2 Years of Welfare Reform" (May 2000)
"Work and Welfare: Iowa Families Tell Their Stories" (November 1999)
“Surveying Current and Former TANF Recipients in Iowa" (October 1999)
"Second Assignments to Iowa's Limited Benefit Plan" (August 1999)
"Cost-Benefit Analysis of Iowa's Family Investment Program: Two-Year Results" (February 1999)
"Iowa's Family Investment Program: Two-Year Impacts" (December 1998)