June 11, 2008
Welfare Reform a Factor in Lower Voter Registration at Public Assistance Offices
By David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D., and Patrick Tyrrell
(Center for Data Analysis Report #08-03)
While voter registrations at welfare offices have declined, this does not mean that former welfare recipients are not registering to vote. Low-income Americans have numerous ...

April 22, 2008
Executive Summary: Abstinence Education: Assessing the Evidence
By Christine C. Kim and Robert Rector
(Executive Summary #2126)
Abstinence education provides life and decision-making skills that lay the foundation for personal responsibility and healthy relationships later in life. Eleven of the 15 authentic ...

April 22, 2008
Abstinence Education: Assessing the Evidence
By Christine C. Kim and Robert Rector
(Backgrounder #2126)
Abstinence education provides life and decision-making skills that lay the foundation for personal responsibility and healthy relationships later in life. Eleven of the 15 authentic ...

April 3, 2008
The Impact of Welfare Reform on Declining Public Assistance Voter Registrations
By David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D.
(Testimony )
The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 required states to allow eligible persons to register to vote at various government locations, including public assistance offices. ...

December 3, 2007
SCHIP Bill Increases Illegal Immigrants' Access to Medicaid and Undermines Welfare Reform
By Robert E. Rector
(WebMemo #1714)
The SCHIP reauthorization bill increases opportunities for welfare fraud.

December 3, 2007
The SCHIP Negotiations: A Backdoor Approach to Expanding Medicaid to the Middle Class?
By Nina Owcharenko
(WebMemo #1716)
Congress must prevent the expansion of welfare into the middle class by capping eligibility for both SCHIP and Medicaid.

November 13, 2007
Hunger Hysteria: Examining Food Security and Obesity in America
By Robert Rector
(WebMemo #1701)
USDA food security data show poverty and hunger in America are linked to widespread obesity; use of food stamps increases obesity among the poor.

September 10, 2007
The Subprime Mortgage Situation: Bailout Not the Right Solution
By Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D., and David C. John
(WebMemo #1604)
The government's response should be limited to dealing with the immediate problem and should not become a vehicle for expanded housing programs or pushing other ...

August 29, 2007
Census Report Adds New Twist to Income Inequality Data
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr.
(WebMemo #1592)
With the help of a new measure for income inequality, a new report refutes the notion that "the rich are getting richer and the poor ...

August 27, 2007
How Poor Are America's Poor? Examining the "Plague" of Poverty in America
By Robert Rector
(Backgrounder #2064)
For most Americans, the word "poverty" suggests destitution: an inability to provide a family with nutritious food, clothing, and reasonable shelter. But only a small ...

August 27, 2007
Executive Summary: How Poor Are America's Poor? Examining the "Plague" of Poverty in America
By Robert Rector
(Executive Summary #2064)
For most Americans, the word "poverty" suggests destitution: an inability to provide a family with nutritious food, clothing, and reasonable shelter. But only a small ...

June 18, 2007
Response to False Claims That Illegal Immigrants Will Not Receive Welfare Under Senate Bill
By Robert Rector
(WebMemo #1509)
Over time nearly all amnesty recipients would be offered legal permanent residence and access to more than 60 federal means-tested welfare programs.

June 13, 2007
Congress Should Not Block Welfare Modernization in Indiana
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1504)
Congress must remove from pending legislation a union-backed provision that would block states from using private contractors to reduce costs and improve service in the ...

June 13, 2007
Performance-Based Pay Driving Increase in Inequality
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1505)
Much of the increase in income inequality in recent decades is due to the expanded business practice of paying workers based on their individual levels ...

May 31, 2007
Analyzing Economic Mobility: Measuring Inequality and Economic Mobility
By Paul Winfree
(WebMemo #1478)
There is no comprehensive measure of economic inequality and mobility, but several metrics, used together, can give a more complete picture.

May 24, 2007
Children's Health: SCHIP Should Not Become a Welfare Entitlement
By Nina Owcharenko
(WebMemo #1473)
To protect taxpayers and preserve private sector aspects of the program, Congress must prevent the State Children's Health Insurance Program from morphing into an extension ...

May 22, 2007
The Fiscal Cost of Low-Skill Immigrants to the U.S. Taxpayer
By Robert Rector and Christine Kim
(Special Report #14)
Current immigration practices, both legal and illegal, operate like a system of trans-national welfare outreach bringing millions of fiscally dependent individuals into the U.S. This ...

April 4, 2007
The Fiscal Cost of Low-Skill Households to the U.S. Taxpayer
By Robert Rector, Christine Kim, and Shanea Watkins, Ph.D.
(Special Report #12)
Households headed by persons without a high school diploma impose a significant fiscal burden on other taxpayers: The cost of the government benefits they consume ...

April 4, 2007
Executive Summary: The Fiscal Cost of Low-Skill Households to the U.S. Taxpayer
By Robert Rector, Christine Kim, and Shanea Watkins, Ph.D.
(Executive Summary #12)
Households headed by persons without a high school diploma impose a significant fiscal burden on other taxpayers: The cost of the government benefits they consume ...

August 17, 2006
Welfare Reform at 10: Analyzing Welfare Caseload Fluctuations, 1996–2002
By Michael J. New, Ph.D.
(Center for Data Analysis Report #06-07)
Since 1996, the number of welfare recipients has fallen by nearly 60 percent, poverty and hunger have declined, and states have enjoyed more leeway in ...

August 15, 2006
The Collapse of Marriage and the Rise of Welfare Dependence
By Jennifer A. Marshall, Robert Lerman, Ph.D., Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, Ph.D., Hon. Wade Horn, Ph.D., Robert Rector
(Heritage Lecture #959)
The 1965 Moynihan Report pointed to the disintegration of family as a major cause of welfare dependence. Building on the 1996 welfare reform, programs like ...

August 1, 2006
Welfare Reform Turns Ten: Evidence Shows Reduced Dependence, Poverty
By Christine Kim and Robert Rector
(WebMemo #1183)
By a variety of measures, the 1996 welfare reform succeeded.

July 19, 2006
The Impact of Welfare Reform
By Robert Rector
(Testimony )
Ten years ago, when the welfare reform legislation was signed into law, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D–NY) proclaimed the new law to be "the most ...

June 20, 2006
Marriage and the Welfare of America: the Tenth Anniversary of Welfare Reform
By Mike Leavitt
(Heritage Lecture #947)
Two pillars of welfare reform are work requirements and a Healthy Marriage Initiative. They offer men and women the tools to escape government dependency while ...

May 12, 2006
Amnesty and Continued Low Skill Immigration Will Substantially Raise Welfare Costs and Poverty
By Robert Rector
(Backgrounder #1936)
The fiscal impact of immigrants varies strongly according to immigrants' education level.

March 21, 2006
What the Latest Numbers on Hunger and Food Insecurity Really Say
By Kirk A. Johnson Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1922)
America's Second Harvest has issued a useful report on the role of its food banks and food rescue organizations in the social safety net, but ...

February 7, 2006
Congress Re-Starts Welfare Reform
By Robert Rector
(WebMemo #991)
The next step in the revolution in welfare policy that began in 1996.

August 30, 2005
New Census Bureau Report Underscores the Need for More Pro-Growth Policies
By Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D., and Rea S. Hederman, Jr.
(WebMemo #825)
Poverty was basically unchanged in 2004. We need more economic growth to make progress.

February 10, 2005
Welfare Reform and The Healthy Marriage Initiative
By Robert Rector
(Testimony )
The erosion of marriage during the past four decades has had large-scale negative effects on both children and adults: It lies at the heart of ...

December 16, 2004
Mayors' Claims of Growing Hunger Are Once Again Exaggerated
By Melissa G. Pardue, Robert Rector, and Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1813)
According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, food-bank use in major cities has increased at an average rate of 16 percent per year for the ...

December 13, 2004
Mayors' Claims of Growing Hunger Appear Once Again Wildly Exaggerated
By Melissa G. Pardue, Robert Rector, and Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #620)
Is hunger up 17 percent this year? Don't bet on it.

December 6, 2004
Roles of Couples' Relationship Skills and Fathers' Employment in Encouraging Marriage
By Robert Rector and Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D.
(Center for Data Analysis Report #04-14)
An increased recognition of the importance of marriage should lead to policies to help couples that are interested enter into and sustain healthy marriages. Success ...

September 21, 2004
Teens Who Make Virginity Pledges Have Substantially Improved Life Outcomes
By Robert E. Rector,  Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D., and Jennifer A. Marshall
(Center for Data Analysis Report #04-07)
Recently released Add Health survey data indicate that adolescents who make a virginity pledge will have fewer sexual partners and are less likely to experience ...

September 15, 2004
Understanding Poverty and Economic Inequality in the United States
By Robert Rector
(Backgrounder #1796)
The recent Census Bureau report substantially exaggerates the extent of poverty and economic inequality in the United States. Policies that require welfare recipients to work ...

August 27, 2004
The Data on Poverty and Health Insurance You're Not Reading
By Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #556)
Do the poor tend to stay poor? Do those who lack health insurance stay uninsured for short or long periods of time?

August 24, 2004
Two Americas: One Rich, One Poor? Understanding Income Inequality in the United States
By Robert Rector and Rea Hederman, Jr.
(Backgrounder #1791)
The top fifth of U.S. households perform a third of all labor, contain the best educated and most productive workers, provide a disproportionate share of ...

March 30, 2004
Reducing Domestic Violence: How the Healthy Marriage Initiative Can Help
By Melissa G. Pardue and Robert Rector
(Backgrounder #1744)
The President's Healthy Marriage Initiative seeks to prevent the isolation and poverty of welfare mothers by intervening before a pattern of broken relationships and welfare ...

March 30, 2004
Executive Summary: Reducing Domestic Violence: How the Healthy Marriage Initiative Can Help
By Melissa G. Pardue and Robert Rector
(Executive Summary #1744)
The President's Healthy Marriage Initiative seeks to prevent the isolation and poverty of welfare mothers by intervening before a pattern of broken relationships and welfare ...

March 26, 2004
Understanding the President's Healthy Marriage Initiative
By Robert E. Rector and Melissa G. Pardue
(Backgrounder #1741)
The current welfare system financially penalizes unmarried parents who wish to wed, despite the fact that an increased marriage rate among welfare recipients is both ...

March 26, 2004
Executive Summary: Understanding the President's Healthy Marriage Initiative
By Robert E. Rector and Melissa G. Pardue
(Executive Summary #1741)
The current welfare system financially penalizes unmarried parents who wish to wed, despite the fact that an increased marriage rate among welfare recipients is both ...

March 9, 2004
Marriage: Still the Safest Place For Women and Children
By Robert E. Rector, Patrick F. Fagan, and Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1732)
Social science data clearly show that mothers and children are safest and thrive best in a married family. For example, the incidence of spousal, boyfriend, ...

February 10, 2004
Welfare Reform: Progress, Pitfalls, and Potential
By Robert E. Rector
(WebMemo #421)
To ensure that reform is sustained and strengthened, action must be taken to promote three elements that have provided a gateway from poverty and dependency: ...

January 28, 2004
Executive Summary: What Do Parents Want Taught in Sex Education Programs?
By Robert E. Rector, Melissa G. Pardue, and Shannan Martin
(Executive Summary #1722)
A nationally representative Zogby International poll shows that American parents overwhelmingly, and in some cases almost unanimously, support the themes and messages of abstinence education ...

January 14, 2004
Government Spends $12 on Safe Sex and Contraceptives for Every $1 Spent on Abstinence
By Melissa G. Pardue, Robert E. Rector, and Shannan Martin
(Backgrounder #1718)
Given the alarming content of most comprehensive sex-ed programs, and given the current funding imbalance between contraceptive promotion and abstinence programs, any new monies devoted ...

January 5, 2004
Understanding Poverty in America
By Robert E. Rector and Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1713)
If poverty means lacking nutritious food, adequate warm housing, and clothing for a family, relatively few of the 35 million people identified as being "in ...

January 5, 2004
Executive Summary: Understanding Poverty in America
By Robert E. Rector and Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D.
(Executive Summary #1713)
If poverty means lacking nutritious food, adequate warm housing, and clothing for a family, relatively few of the 35 million people identified as being "in ...

December 15, 2003
Mayors' Claims of Growing Hunger Appear Wildly Exaggerated
By Melissa G. Pardue, Robert E. Rector, and Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1711)
Policymakers should be wary of the claims of "increasing hunger" that are likely to be made in the 2003 U.S. Conference of Mayors report. Year ...

October 20, 2003
The Necessity of Marriage
By The Honorable Rick Santorum
(Heritage Lecture #804)
Marriage is under assault, with high rates of divorce and out-of-wedlock births pummeling the traditional family. Given the high stakes for society, it is important ...

August 22, 2003
"Marriage Plus": Sabotaging the President's Efforts to Promote Healthy Marriage
By Robert E. Rector, Melissa G. Pardue, Lauren R. Noyes
(Backgrounder #1677)
Opponents of President Bush's pilot initiative to fund innovative marriage-promotion programs have proposed an alternative strategy termed "marriage plus."

July 21, 2003
Under Senate Bill, Welfare Recipients Who Refuse to Work Would Still Get Cash Benefits
By Jason Turner and Robert E. Rector
(Backgrounder #1669)
Legislation passed by the House of Representatives would require all states to impose meaningful sanctions on Temporary Assistance to Needy Families recipients who fail to ...

June 27, 2003
Don't Rush to Judgment on Charitable Choice
By Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D., and Melissa G. Pardue
(Executive Memorandum #889)
President George W. Bush and many Members of Congress desire to expand the ability of faith-based organizations to compete for federal social service contracts. Congress ...

June 12, 2003
Sharp Reduction in Black Child Poverty Due to Welfare Reform
By Melissa G. Pardue
(Backgrounder #1661)
For every black child whose economic condition has worsened in the past six years, six have risen out of poverty. But policies that ignore low ...

May 20, 2003
Increasing Marriage Would Dramatically Reduce Child Poverty
By Robert E. Rector, Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D., Patrick F. Fagan, and Lauren R. Noyes
(Center for Data Analysis Report #03-06)
In 2001, 1.35 million children were born outside marriage. This represents 33.5 percent of all children born in the United States in that year. Children ...

May 8, 2003
"Universal Engagement" of TANF Recipients: The Lessons of New York City
By Jason Turner
(Backgrounder #1651)
Central to the change resulting from the reforms passed by the Republican Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996, creating the ...

May 2, 2003
The Myth of a Child Care Crisis
By Brian M. Riedl
(Executive Summary #1649)

May 2, 2003
The Myth of a Child Care Crisis
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1649)
The problem is that much of the public policy debate concerning child care is misleading. The truth is that government spending on child care has ...

February 19, 2003
States and Advocates for Children Should Hail Sixth Circuit Court Decision Allowing Drug Testing of Welfare Recipients
By Jason Turner
(Executive Memorandum #860)
By identifying drug abusers and ensuring that they enroll in treatment, using attendance tracking and accountability measures already built into welfare-to-work programs, recovery rates can ...

February 12, 2003
The Good Economy Versus Welfare Reform: Who Gets the Credit?
By The Heritage Foundation
(WebMemo #206)
The Good Economy Versus Welfare Reform: Who Gets the Credit?

February 6, 2003
Executive Summary: The Continuing Good News About Welfare Reform
By Robert Rector and Patrick F. Fagan
(Executive Summary #1620)
bg1620 Executive summary, The Continuing Good News About Welfare Reform

February 6, 2003
The Continuing Good News About Welfare Reform
By Robert Rector and Patrick F. Fagan
(Backgrounder #1620)
When Congress reauthorizes Temporary Assistance to Needy Families this year, it should ensure that all able-bodied welfare recipients are required to work or undertake other ...

January 29, 2003
The Role of Parental Work in Child Poverty
By Robert E. Rector and Rea S. Hederman, Jr.
(Center for Data Analysis Report #03-01)
The analysis presented in this paper indicates that child poverty is more often the result of low levels of parental work than of parents' low ...

October 25, 2002
Marriage and Welfare Reform: The Overwhelming Evidence that Marriage Education Works
By Patrick F. Fagan, Robert W. Patterson, and Robert E. Rector
(Backgrounder #1606)
Marriage is good for everyone in society. Children born and reared in married families are much less likely to be impoverished or to live on ...

October 25, 2002
Marriage and Welfare Reform: The Overwhelming Evidence that Marriage Education Works
By Patrick F. Fagan, Robert W. Patterson, and Robert E. Rector
(Executive Summary #1606)
bg1606es: Marriage and Welfare Reform: The Overwhelming Evidence that Marriage Education Works

September 27, 2002
Despite Recession, Black Child Poverty Plunges to All-Time Historic Low
By Robert E. Rector
(Backgrounder #1595)
The record of the past six years indicates that welfare reform should be strengthened and expanded. The evidence demonstrates that, with welfare reform, our nation ...

September 19, 2002
Six Myths About Child Care
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1588)
If welfare reform is to continue and expand, additional funding for child care must be provided. However, as in the past, most of this funding ...

September 19, 2002
Six Myths About Child Care
By Brian M. Riedl
(Executive Summary #1588)
bg1588es: Six Myths About Child Care

September 3, 2002
The Baucus "WORK" Act of 2002: Repealing Welfare Reform
By Robert E.Rector
(Backgrounder #1580)
The 1996 welfare reform has been one of the greatest success stories in public. Policymakers should resist all efforts to turn back the clock on ...

September 3, 2002
The Baucus "WORK" Act of 2002: Repealing Welfare Reform
By Robert E. Rector
(Executive Summary #1580es)
BG1580es:The Baucus "WORK" Act of 2002: Repealing Welfare Reform

August 2, 2002
The Effects of Marriage and Maternal Education in Reducing Child Poverty
By Robert Rector and Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D.
(Center for Data Analysis Report #02-05)
Both marriage and maternal education can play a significant role in reducing child poverty. The most effective public policy to reduce child poverty would encourage ...

July 12, 2002
Myths and Facts: Why Successful Welfare Reform Must Strengthen Work Requirements
By Brian M. Riedl and Robert E. Rector
(Backgrounder #1568)
Work is the only way to escape the cycle of poverty, and work requirements must be enforced if they are to play a meaningful role ...

July 11, 2002
Welfare Reform: More Work to be Done
By The Heritage Foundation
(WebMemo #125)
The underlying principle of welfare reform, that people deserve the opportunity to provide for themselves and their families, motivates more reform efforts. The appropriate response ...

July 11, 2002
Welfare Quotes: They Said It
By The Heritage Foundation
(WebMemo #126)
Opponents of the 1996 welfare reform legislation mounted aggressive attacks claiming the bill would hurt and impoverish millions of children and single mothers. Indeed, the ...

June 26, 2002
The Baucus "WORK" Act of 2002: Declaring War on Welfare Reform
By Robert Rector
(WebMemo #120)
Although it does not restore entitlement status to TANF funding, the Baucus "WORK" bill overturns nearly every other element of the 1996 welfare reform. It ...

June 13, 2002
Don't Let California and New York Undermine Welfare Reform's Work Requirements
By Jason Turner
(Executive Memorandum #819)
True welfare reform means requiring that recipients engage in constructive activities leading to self-sufficiency, not merely suggesting that they do so.

May 31, 2002
Dissenting Statement to the Report of the Millennial Housing Commission
By Robert Rector
(WebMemo #102)
To improve affordability, we must increase family incomes and reduce governmental policies that restrain housing supply and raise costs. The Millennial Housing Commission report proposes ...

May 29, 2002
Continuing to Transform Welfare: The Next Bold--and Compassionate--Step
By The Honorable Tommy G. Thompson
(Heritage Lecture #747)
True welfare reform is about empowerment: about helping everyone gain a firm foothold on the solid ground of personal opportunity, professional advancement, and a healthy ...

May 1, 2002
Housing Policy and Welfare Reform
By Robert Rector
(Testimony )
Government housing programs should be restructured according to the current principles of welfare reform. First, able-bodied recipients should be required to be fully employed or ...

April 15, 2002
The Effect of Marriage on Child Poverty
By Robert Rector, Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D., and Patrick F. Fagan
(Center for Data Analysis Report #02-04)
The lack of progress in reducing child poverty since 1965 can be explained in part by the erosion of marriage and the growth of poverty-prone ...

April 11, 2002
Proposed Changes to Current Law, TANF Program
By Jason Turner
(Testimony )
The tremendous success of PWRORA at helping families achieve self-sufficiency has reduced the level of state and local funds necessary to provide benefit payments. The ...

April 11, 2002
Next Steps in Welfare Reform
By Robert E. Rector
(Testimony )
Test041102: Next Steps in Welfare Reform

April 10, 2002
Marriage: The Safest Place for Women and Children
By Patrick F. Fagan and Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1535)
Social science data clearly show that mothers and children are safest and thrive best in a married family. It is time for the government to ...

April 9, 2002
Effective Work Programs
By Jason Turner
(Testimony )
In conclusion, the tremendous success of PWRORA at helping families achieve self-sufficiency has reduced the level of state and local funds necessary to provide benefit ...

March 22, 2002
Let Them Eat Their Words ? Marriage Reduces Poverty
By Jennifer Garrett
(WebMemo #88)
Welfare reform's priorities should be the reduction of dependency and poverty through work and marriage. We must face the impact of deteriorating marriage forthrightly. There ...

September 20, 2001
The Good News About Welfare Reform
By Robert E. Rector
(Testimony )
The current indifference and hostility to marriage in the welfare system is a national disgrace. In reauthorizing TANF, Congress must make the rebuilding of marriage ...

September 5, 2001
The Good News About Welfare Reform
By Robert E. Rector and Patrick F. Fagan
(Backgrounder #1468)
The 1996 welfare reform began necessary changes to the disastrous old welfare system. The rewards to non-work in the TANF program have been substantially reduced. ...

September 5, 2001
The Good News About Welfare Reform
By Robert Rector and Patrick F. Fagan
(Executive Summary #1468es)
BG1468es: The Good News About Welfare Reform

August 1, 2001
The Size and Scope Of Means-Tested Welfare Spending
By Robert E. Rector
(Testimony )
Rather than increasing conventional welfare spending year after year, we should change the foundations of the welfare system.

June 27, 2001
Reforming Food Stamps to Promote Work and Reduce Poverty and Dependence
By Robert E. Rector
(Testimony )
The replacement of AFDC with the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program (TANF) has led to record declines in dependence and poverty.

May 23, 2001
Understanding Differences in Black and White Child Poverty Rates
By Robert Rector, Kirk A. Johnson, and Patrick F. Fagan
(Center for Data Analysis Report #01-04)
Child poverty is a continuing American problem. This report examines the causes of child poverty and the factors that contribute to racial differences in child ...

May 22, 2001
The Federal and State Governments, Welfare and Marriage Issues
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Testimony )
To help Congress in its deliberations for the last round of Welfare Reform The Heritage Foundation reviewed the literature on the effects of out of ...

March 15, 2001
The Effects of Welfare Reform
By Robert E. Rector
(Testimony )
The intention of welfare programs is to benefit low income Americans, especially children. Yet the evidence indicates that children and parents are actively harmed rather ...

March 7, 2001
Means-Tested Welfare Spending: Past and Future Growth
By Robert  E. Rector
(Testimony )
Means-Tested Welfare Spending: Past and Future Growth

June 5, 2000
The Effects of Divorce on America
By Patrick F. Fagan and Robert E. Rector
(Backgrounder #1373)
The foundation of society (marriage and the family) is growing weaker, with fewer adults entering into marriage, more adults leaving it in divorce, and more ...

October 5, 1999
The Fathers Count Act of 1999
By Robert E. Rector
(Testimony )
Marriage in our society is dying. Today, a third of all births occur outside of wedlock.

September 29, 1999
On the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization
By Patrick F. Fagan
(Testimony )
To understand the rise in domestic violence, it is necessary to see the bigger picture, the change in our national culture, the change in us ...

September 29, 1999
Income Inequality: How Census Data Misrepresent Income Distribution
By Robert E. Rector and Rea S. Hederman, Jr.
(Center for Data Analysis Report #99-07)
Political debate on income in the United States often has been characterized as competition between two schools of economic thought.

September 20, 1999
Successful Welfare Reform Requires State Flexibility on the Minimum Wage
By D. Mark Wilson
(Executive Memorandum #625)
Welfare reform, which has dramatically reduced the number of people receiving public assistance, has altered the debate over the national entry-level minimum wage.

September 9, 1999
Welfare Reform and the Decline of Dependence
By Robert E. Rector
(Testimony )
During the past three years, national caseloads in the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program have fallen greatly.

September 1, 1999
The Extent of Material Hardship and Poverty in the United States
By Robert E. Rector, Kirk A. Johnson, and Sarah E. Youssef
(WebMemo #187)
This paper will take an alternative approach to assessing poverty: examining the material living conditions of low-income Americans.

May 11, 1999
The Determinants of Welfare Caseload Decline
By Robert E. Rector and Sarah E. Youssef
(Center for Data Analysis Report #99-04)
During the past three years, national caseloads in the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program have fallen by 37 percent.

September 18, 1998
The Myth of Widespread American Poverty
By Robert E. Rector
(Executive Summary #1221)
BG1221es:  The Myth of Widespread American Poverty

September 18, 1998
The Myth of Widespread American Poverty
By Robert E. Rector
(Backgrounder #1221)
Exposing the truth about America's "poor" and poverty.

March 6, 1997
The Good News About Welfare Reform: Wisconsin's Success Story
By Governor Tommy Thompson (R-WI) and Dr. William J. Bennett
(Heritage Lecture #593)
Governor Tommy Thompson (R-WI) and Dr. William J. Bennett comment on much needed welfare reform.

March 4, 1997
Wisconsin's Welfare Miracle
By Robert E. Rector
(Backgrounder )
Wisconsin has shown the way to welfare reform; it is now up to rest of the nation to apply the lessons learned.

June 5, 1996
How Welfare Harms Kids
By Robert E. Rector and Patrick F. Fagan
(Backgrounder #1084)
Welfare hurts children too.

March 18, 1996
Yet Another Sham Welfare Reform: Examining the NGA Plan
By Robert E. Rector
(Backgrounder #1075)
The welfare "reform" proposed by the National Governors' Association is, in reality, an anti-reform.

December 4, 1995
Why Congress Must Reform Welfare
By Robert E. Rector
(Backgrounder #1063)
Higher welfare payments do not assist children; they increase dependence and illegitimacy, which have a devastatingly negative effect on children's development.

September 6, 1995
Kicking America's Welfare Habit: Politics, Illegitimacy, and Personal Responsibility
By The Honorable Pete Wilson
(Heritage Lecture #540)
Congress must have the courage to fix the welfare problem for the benefit of the entire country.

August 31, 1995
The Forgotten Crisis: S. 1120, Welfare Reform, And I1legitimacy
By Rector, Robert
(Committee Brief #18)

August 4, 1995
Which Will Survive: The Welfare State or the Republican Revolution?
By Attorney General John Ashcroft
(Heritage Lecture #539)
The Republican's sucesses in Congress could be seriously compromised if we fail to fundamentally dismantle and replace the current Washington-based, one-size-fits-all, micromanaged welfare system.

April 27, 1995
The Case for 'Strings-Attached' Welfare Reform
By Rector, Robert
(Heritage Lecture #524)

April 6, 1995
Addressing Illegitimacy; The Root of Real Welfare Reform
By Liebmann, George W.
(Backgrounder #1032)

March 31, 1995
Liberal Welfare Programs: What the Data Show on Programs for Teenage Mothers
By Fagan, Patrick F.
(Backgrounder #1031)

March 23, 1995
Elderly Non-Citizens on Welfare Will Cost the American Taxpayer $328 Billion Over the Next Decade
By Rector, Robert; Lauber, William F.
(FYI #54)

March 21, 1995
Talent Amendment Fixes Fatally Flawed Republican Work Plan
By Rector, Robert
(FYI #53)

February 9, 1995
New Jersey Experiment Sharply Cuts Illegitimate Births Among Welfare Mothers
By Rector, Robert
(FYI #50)

August 10, 1994
Crime Rates and Welfare Spending
By Hodge, Scott
(FYI #24)

August 1, 1994
How Clinton's Bill Extends Welfare as We Know It
By Rector, Robert
(Issue Bulletin #200)

December 17, 1993
President Clinton's Commitment to Welfare Reform: The Disturbing Record So Far
By Rector, Robert
(Backgrounder #967)

January 18, 1993
A Comprehensive Urban Policy: How to Fix Welfare and Revitalize America's Inner Cities
By Rector, Robert
(Clinton Memo #12)

May 1, 1992
Strategies for Welfare Reform
By Rector, Robert
(Heritage Lecture #378)

January 31, 1992
How the Poor Really Live: Lessons for Welfare Reform
By Rector, Robert
(Backgrounder #875)

October 30, 1991
Guidelines for State Welfare Reform
By Butler, Stuart M.
(Heritage Lecture #346)

September 23, 1991
Why the New Census Report Will Overstate Poverty
By Rector, Robert
(Executive Memorandum #309)

October 16, 1990
Guidelines for the Housing Bill
By Horowitz, Carl F.
(Issue Bulletin #161)

September 27, 1990
The Missing Data In the Census Bureau Poverty Report
By Rector, Robert; O'Beirne, Kate Walsh
(Executive Memorandum #283)

September 21, 1990
How "Poor" are America's Poor?
By Robert E. Rector
(Backgrounder #791)
Defining America's "Poor."

June 20, 1990
The "New" Cranston-D'Amato Housing Bill: Still Bad News for the Poor
By Horowitz, Carl F.
(Backgrounder Update #135)

June 10, 1990
An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of Poverty in America and How to Combat It
By Kemp, Honerable Jack
(Heritage Lecture #263)

May 17, 1990
The Massachusetts 'Welfare Miracle': Another Mirage
By O'Beirne, Kate Walsh
(Backgrounder Update #134)

May 1, 1990
Business Leadership and Education Reform: The Next Frontier
By Keleher, Patrick J. Jr.
(Heritage Lecture #257)

March 29, 1990
Kemp's "Hope" Package: The Start of a Sound Housing Policy
By Scanlon, John
(Issue Bulletin #155)

October 2, 1989
"Homelessness: Describing the Symptoms, Prescribing a Cure"
By Scanlon, John
(Backgrounder #729)

September 22, 1989
Cranston, D'Amato's S.565: Neglecting America's Poor
By Utt, Ronald
(Issue Bulletin #152)

July 27, 1989
Reforming HUD to Prevent New Scandals
By Butler, Stuart M.
(Executive Memorandum #244)

July 12, 1989
Congressmen as Lobbyists: A Look Inside the HUD Scandal
By Hart, Benjamin
(Executive Memorandum #241)

June 12, 1989
S. 565: Pushing the Federal Housing Administration Toward Insolvency
By Utt, Ronald
(Issue Bulletin #148)

May 4, 1989
How the White House Spurs Welfare Reform
By Butler, Stuart M.
(Backgrounder #705)

September 23, 1988
Congress Hurts the Poor by Slashing Housing Voucher Program
By Ferrara, Peter J.
(Backgrounder Update #88)

August 10, 1988
HUD Bureaucrats Stymie Bold Public Housing Plan
By Butler, Stuart M.
(Backgrounder Update #82)

March 24, 1988
Guidelines for Real Welfare Reform
By Butler, Stuart M.
(Executive Memorandum #192)

September 23, 1987
"Welfare Reform That Is Anti-Work, Anti-Family, Anti-Poor"
By Rector, Robert
(Backgrounder #603)

September 1, 1987
UNICEF's Mounting Troubles
By Dewey, Thomas E. L.
(Backgrounder Update #50)

July 22, 1987