Poverty, Work, and Community: A Research Agenda for an Era of Diminishing Federal Responsibility

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Abstract
Welfare time limits and stringent work requirements, components of most states' reform plans, make employment a necessity for family survival. Yet the availability of jobs has reached new lows in many low-income communities, and steady jobs with wages that can keep a family above the poverty line are dwindling. Research on welfare incentives and reforms has shown only modest employment effects and has failed to take the community context into account. If large numbers of welfare recipients are to become steadily employed, low-income communities must experience fundamental changes in employment opportunities. A research agenda that fosters employment and builds community resources is proposed. This agenda addresses ways in which communities can provide preconditions for employment, preparation for employment, access to employment, and ongoing support for working families.

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