The Role of Unemployment, Politics, Policy Choice, and Race on TANF Case Closure Sanctions

• In Event: 065 - Regular Session. Social Welfare Programs

Abstract

How do welfare policies shape the lives of the poor, particularly during tough times? To investigate the impact of welfare policy on the lives of the poor, I examine the role Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) played during the Great Recession of 2007-2009. In particular, I examine how sanction policies, the primary tools of poverty governance under TANF, were implemented during a time of national economic crisis. This study asks; given the recent recession, what factors shape the distribution of sanctions? To answer this question I examine how unemployment, politics, policy choice, and race have shaped the distribution of welfare sanctions at the state and individual levels. Findings show that in general, as state level unemployment rates increase, sanction rates decrease. However, during the Great Recession, sanction rates increased as labor markets tightened. Contrary to expectation, states under full democratic control show an increase in sanction rates, even during the recession, while states with stricter policy environments show greater rates of sanctions as predicted. At the individual level, black and Hispanic women face greater odds of sanctions.

Author

• Jessica Hausauer, Syracuse University