Welfare Reform in Philadelphia: Implementation, Effects, and Experiences of Poor Families and Neighborhoods

September 2003 Welfare Reform in Philadelphia: Implementation, Effects, and Experiences of Poor Families and Neighborhoods This report - one of a series from MDRC's Project on Devolution and Urban Change - examines the specific ways in which reform unfolded in Philadelphia. The study uses field research, state records, surveys and ethnographic interviews of welfare recipients, and indicators of social and economic trends to assess TANF's implementation and effects. Because of the strong economy and ample funding for services in the late 1990s, the study captures welfare reform in the best of times but focuses on the poorest families and neighborhoods . . .