Reforming Welfare
April 14, 2003

DOES welfare reform work? More specifically, has it shown to be effective in recent months as the economy has sputtered? According to one study, the answer to both questions is yes, which should be good if cautious news.

A study released last week by the Manhattan Institute, a think tank, shows the poverty rate among single mothers has dropped by 20 percent since passage of the welfare reform law in 1996. That, despite the recession of the early part of this decade that welfare reform detractors believed would prompt unraveling of the controversial law.

Worth noting, as Congress considers the law's reauthorization, is that welfare reform's success hinges largely on requirements to work and a limit of five years on benefits. These measures "reduced the incentives to go or stay on welfare," the study notes. As we said, these are encouraging signs.

©2003 The Daily Oklahoman