Means-Tested Transfer Programs in the United States.

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, established in 1996, replaced what previously was called the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program. TANF, like AFDC, primarily serves low-income single mothers and has as its central purpose the provision of cash support. The TANF program is distinguished from AFDC by strong work requirements and by time limits on receipt of benefits. Moffitt reviews the rules of the TANF program and discusses the research that has been conducted on it and on AFDC.

Currie explains that the U.S. government operates a wide variety of food and nutrition programs (FANPs) that reach an estimated one out of every five Americans every day. Her review focuses on the three largest programs: the Food Stamp Program; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; and the National School Lunch Program. Some of the issues she raises concern the role of FANPs in an era when obesity presents a serious health problem; the effectiveness of FANPs as safety net programs; the value of in-kind versus cash benefits; and the likely effects of welfare reform on FANP participation.

Gruber examines the history, rules, and economic implications of the Medicaid program. He begins with a detailed overview of how the program works, and then provides information on spending patterns and on who is covered and eligible. Next he reviews the economic issues involved in studying the Medicaid program: assessing its impacts on insurance coverage (public and private), health, labor supply, family structure, and savings. He follows this with a review of the empirical literature on each of these topics. Gruber concludes with a discussion of the policy issues and unanswered questions surrounding the Medicaid program.

The passage of the Workforce Investment Act in 1998 reaffirmed U.S. policymakers' commitment to reshaping and upgrading the skills and employment prospects of the nation's low-income, disabled, and displaced workers via publicly subsidized employment and training programs. While the orientation and goals of U.S. training policy have shifted frequently over the last 40 years, the menu of services provided to these disadvantaged groups has not changed very much. LaLonde examines the history of such programs, shows how policy objectives have shifted, and describes both the services subsidized by these programs and their users. In addition, he surveys the contributions of the...