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The Deserving Poor, the Family, and the U.S. Welfare System

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  • Robert Moffitt

Abstract

Contrary to the popular view that the U.S. welfare system has been in a contractionary phase after the expansions of the welfare state in the 1960s, welfare spending resumed steady growth after a pause in the 1970s. However, although aggregate spending is higher than ever, there have been redistributions away from non-elderly and nondisabled families to families with older adults and to families with recipients of disability programs; from non-elderly, nondisabled single-parent families to married-parent families; and from the poorest families to those with higher incomes. These redistributions likely reflect long-standing, and perhaps increasing, conceptualizations by U.S. society of which poor are deserving and which are not. Copyright Population Association of America 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Robert Moffitt, 2015. "The Deserving Poor, the Family, and the U.S. Welfare System," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 52(3), pages 729-749, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:demogr:v:52:y:2015:i:3:p:729-749
    DOI: 10.1007/s13524-015-0395-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Keywords

    Welfare; Poverty; Single mothers;
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