Welfare of the Poor reviews the explanatory models used to predict the relation of the poor to major institutions such as the labor market the family, the health care system, and the educational system; and the impact these relations have on the status of the poor. The monograph assesses the models that explain welfare dependency. Chapters focus on such topics as research findings on the size and stability of the welfare caseload; investigations on determinants of work and welfare patterns; and the political and methodological weaknesses of the prevailing approaches in poverty research. Social workers, sociologists, economists, and policy makers will find the book insightful.

ContentsPreface Acknowledgments 1 Welfare Caseload Dynamics Caseload Variations: Conceptual Issues and Methodological Techniques Variations within the Welfare Population Conclusion 2 Employment Measuring Employability Factors Affecting Work and Welfare Patterns Conclusion 3 Family Composition Determinants of Marital Instability Effects of the Welfare System on Remarriage Effects of the Welfare System on Illegitimacy Effects of the Welfare System on Fertility Conclusion 4 Health Health Definitions Nutrition: A Causal Factor Utilization of Health Care Services among the Poor Conclusion 5 Education Socioeconomic Determinants Inequality of School Resources Institutional Determinants Conclusion 6 Welfare Research: Political and Methodological Limitations Impact of Differing Paradigms on Understanding Dependency Cost of Knowledge Policy Implications and Future Research on Poverty References Index