Welfare Sanctions, Work, and Material Hardship

In the United States, we are once again debating policy proposals to restrict access to social safety net programs.  This article explores the effectiveness of sanctions as a policy lever during the welfare reforms of the mid-1990s, specifically, whether sanctions work as intended to increase compliance with welfare program rules.  The article also explores whether sanctions increase the risk of material hardships for economically disadvantaged families.  Use in conjunction with the Slack, Lee and Berger (2007) article on "Welfare Sanctions and Child Protective Services (CPS) Involvement" to discuss whether sanctions are an effective policy tool for increasing compliance with welfare program rules. 

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