This Urban Institute report highlights qualitative data to explain the reasons why low-wage workers apply for public assistance initially. The report is drawn from interviews with 40 individuals who recently separated from low-wage work and received…

This Urban Institute report reviews the use of outcomes-based contracts (OBCs), which tie government payments to improvements in service delivery. The report examines the benefit of using OBCs to incentivize performance from external contactors, as…

This Urban Institute brief examines how variations in work schedules for participants in TANF and other safety net programs affect their ability to comply with weekly work requirements for reasons beyond participants’ control. Some challenges…

This Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation issue brief highlights local perspectives on how performance indicator alignment from federal programs promoting self-sufficiency could increase program efficiencies and service…

This Urban Institute report illustrates the complexity of work requirements that parents encounter, either to comply with program regulations or to increase their work engagement. There is also discussion about how parents can access the supports…

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation literature review examines how state and local TANF agencies have implemented approaches to improve their organizational culture to be more client-centered. The review’s premise is that the agencies’…

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report explores the importance of the relationship between self-regulation and improved economic outcomes. The report identifies the psychological insights behind self-regulation, which refers to the…

This policy evaluation from the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin at Madison assesses the Child Support Noncustodial Parent Employment Demonstration project. The report covers 18 implementation sites, where half of the…

This joint report by the Center for Law and Social Policy and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities offers guidance on how to improve the administration of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid at the state and local levels…

This Urban Institute report notes the positive effect that safety net programs have on program recipients and their families. When reviewing program participation in TANF, SNAP, and public health insurance, the researchers discovered that the number…