The Transition from Welfare to Work

Robert Lemke, Robert Witt () and Ann Dryden Witte
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Robert Lemke: Lake Forest College
Ann Dryden Witte: Wellesley College and NBER

No 504, Department of Economics Discussion Papers from Department of Economics, University of Surrey

Abstract: We consider the effects the child care market, child care vouchers, early childhood education programs, and welfare reforms have on welfare recipients in their transition from welfare to work. Specifically, we are interested in determining which factors encourage single mothers to move directly from welfare to work and which factors encourage the pursuit of additional schooling or job retraining before entering the labor market. Using Massachusetts data from July 1996 through August 1997, we find that the availability, quality, and cost of formal child care are all positively related to transiting directly from welfare to work. We also find that single mothers with older children are more likely to pursue a job and forego additional schooling, while single mothers with infants are more likely to advance their education before seeking employment.

Keywords: Welfare Reform; Child Care; Vouchers; Time Limits; Labor Supply (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I38 H40 J22 I20 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hrm and nep-pbe
Date: 2004-08
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Related works:
Journal Article: The Transition from Welfare to Work (2007)
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Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sur:surrec:0504

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