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Welfare Reform's Chilling Effects on Noncitizens: Changes in Noncitizen Welfare Recipiency or Shifts in Citizenship Status?

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  • Jennifer Van Hook

Abstract

Objective. In the mid‐1990s, welfare usage declined disproportionately among noncitizens, prompting some policy analysts to argue that the 1996 Welfare Reform Act (PRWORA) had a “chilling” effect on welfare receipt among eligible non‐citizens. However, naturalization among noncitizen welfare recipients could account for the disproportionate decline. This article evaluates the role of naturalizations in producing the so‐called chilling effect. Methods. The research uses longitudinal data (the Survey of Program Dynamics) to decompose changes in citizen and noncitizen welfare receipt into parts due to shifts in citizenship status and shifts in welfare receipt. Results. A substantial portion of the relative decline in welfare usage among noncitizens can be explained by shifts in naturalization. Conclusions. A more cautious interpretation of results about the effects of welfare reform on immigrants is called for, particularly results of analyses that use cross‐sectional data and disaggregate the change in welfare receipt by citizenship status.

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  • Jennifer Van Hook, 2003. "Welfare Reform's Chilling Effects on Noncitizens: Changes in Noncitizen Welfare Recipiency or Shifts in Citizenship Status?," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 84(3), pages 613-631, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:84:y:2003:i:3:p:613-631
    DOI: 10.1111/1540-6237.8403008
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Borjas, George J., 2004. "Food insecurity and public assistance," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(7-8), pages 1421-1443, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Tara Watson, 2014. "Inside the Refrigerator: Immigration Enforcement and Chilling Effects in Medicaid Participation," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 6(3), pages 313-338, August.
    2. Chau-kiu Cheung & Kwan-kwok Leung, 2007. "Relating social welfare to life satisfaction in the postmodern era of Hong Kong," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 84(1), pages 53-70, October.
    3. Christopher R. Bollinger & Paul Hagstrom, 2008. "Food Stamp Program Participation of Refugees and Immigrants," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 74(3), pages 665-692, January.
    4. Lindsay M. Monte, 2015. "In the Absence of Leave: The Financial Coping Strategies of Disadvantaged New Mothers in the Great Recession," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 7(4), pages 420-435, December.
    5. Emma Aguila & Julie Zissimopoulos, 2008. "Labor Market and Immigration Behavior of Middle-Aged and Elderly Mexicans," Working Papers wp192, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center.
    6. Neeraj Kaushal, 2010. "Elderly immigrants' labor supply response to supplemental security income," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(1), pages 137-162.
    7. Stacie Carr & Marta Tienda, 2013. "Family Sponsorship and Late-Age Immigration in Aging America: Revised and Expanded Estimates of Chained Migration," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 32(6), pages 825-849, December.
    8. Sylvia E Twersky, 2019. "Restrictive state laws aimed at immigrants: Effects on enrollment in the food stamp program by U.S. citizen children in immigrant families," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(5), pages 1-18, May.
    9. Richard Patti & Courtney Boen, 2025. "State Immigrant Policies and Intersectional Inequalities in Health," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 44(2), pages 1-43, April.
    10. Emma Aguila & Julie Zissimopoulos, 2008. "Labor Market and Immigration Behavior of Middle-Aged and Elderly Mexicans," Working Papers wp192, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center.
    11. East, Chloe N., 2018. "Immigrants’ labor supply response to Food Stamp access," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 202-226.

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