This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hedrick, T. E. Articles by Shipman, S. L. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Hedrick, T. E. Articles by Shipman, S. L. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Multiple Questions Require Multiple Designs

An Evaluation of the 1981 Changes to the AFDC Program

U.S. General Accounting Office

Stephanie L. Shipman

U.S. General Accounting Office

In 1981 major changes were made to the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA). These changes redirected program resources to those welfare recipients with the least financial resources and thus affected the eligibility and benefit levels of many working welfare recipients. Numerous questions were raised about the effects of the changes—questions concerning the reasonableness of projected program savings, welfare recipients' work effort, and changes in the quality of life for families losing AFDC. This article describes an evaluation study, composed of multiple quasi-experimental research designs, that sought to address these questions. It emphasizes the kinds of issues faced by evaluators when designing research on complex and sensitive topics.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?