미국 근로연계 복지정책의 빈곤효과

The paper examines the relationships between workfare and poverty by analyzing the effect of TANF on poverty in the US. The government began TANF in 1997 as a type of workfare programs, requiring the poor to participate at the labor market and restricting the period to receive the benefits upto 60 months. The paper, using the aggregate data and individual data, analyzes how the institutional characteristics as well as labor market structure and individual/family types affects the poverty rate and the status in the US. First, the numbers of those below the poverty level and welfare cases were determined by the institutional characteristics and labor market structure. More persons got off welfare with jobs in the TANF period than the AFDC period, implying that workfare programs has a significant effect on reducing the poverty. But the number of de-poverty decreased after 2001 when the economic conditions worsened. Second, the effect of TANF depends on family types or individual characteristics. The low income groups, especially the female-headed, with poor health conditions and low education levels could not actively participate at the labor market and returned to the welfare cases. This led to the growing feminization of poverty. Third, three quarters of the former AFDC receipts continued to be poor and finally became the TANF receipt. While some of the welfare leavers got job, the rest of the leavers were disconnected and sanctioned groups who can not receive TANF benefits. These findings imply several policy suggestions. Poverty could be reduced by the welfare policies that could meet the economic and social demands of the poor.