The Project on Devolution and Urban Change: Client Survey, 4 United States counties, 1998-2001 (ICPSR 38094)

Version Date: Mar 14, 2022

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Principal Investigator(s):
MDRC

Series:

https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR38094.v1

Version V1

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Summary

This study contains data files and documentation for the survey data from all four sites of the Project on Devolution and Urban Change (Urban Change, for short). This study examines the implementation and effects of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in four urban counties: Cuyahoga (Cleveland), Philadelphia, Miami-Dade, and Los Angeles. The study's focal period of the late 1990s through the early 2000s was one of prolonged economic expansion and unprecedented decline in unemployment. The study thus captures the most promising context for welfare reform: one of high labor market demand and ample resources to support families in the process of moving from welfare to work.

The included data set is a concatenated version of the longitudinal client survey data used in the following MDRC publications:

  • Welfare Reform in Cleveland: Implementation, Effects, and Experiences of Poor Families and Neighborhoods. (September 2002)
  • Welfare Reform in Philadelphia: Implementation, Effects, and Experiences of Poor Families and Neighborhoods. (September 2003)
  • Welfare Reform in Miami: Implementation, Effects, and Experiences of Poor Families and Neighborhoods. (June 2004)
  • Welfare Reform in Los Angeles: Implementation, Effects, and Experiences of Poor Families and Neighborhoods. (August 2005)
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    The files consist of one SAS data set containing responses to two waves of interviews on education, training, employment, family and household composition, housing, income, material hardship, welfare, health and health care, fertility and childbearing, parenting, child care, domestic violence, substance use, and demographic background.

    These data are a Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped for release, but not checked or processed.

    Citation

    MDRC. The Project on Devolution and Urban Change: Client Survey, 4 United States counties, 1998-2001. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2022-03-14. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR38094.v1

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    Funding

    William Penn Foundation, James Irvine Foundation, California Wellness Foundation, Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Knight Foundation, Joyce Foundation, Cleveland Foundation, George Gund Foundation

    Subject Terms

    Geographic Coverage

    Restrictions

    This data collection may not be used for any purpose other than statistical reporting and analysis. Use of these data to learn the identity of any person or establishment is prohibited. To protect respondent privacy, some of the data files in this collection are restricted from general dissemination. To obtain these restricted files researchers must agree to the terms and conditions of a Restricted Data Use Agreement.

    Distributor(s)

    Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
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    Time Period(s)

    1998 -- 2001

    Date of Collection

    1998-03 -- 1999-04, 2001-03 -- 2001-11
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    Study Purpose

    The purpose of this study was to address four major sets of questions:

    • How did the county respond to the new law? What "messages" and services did the county put in place? How were time limits implemented?
    • What were the effects of welfare reform on the county's welfare caseloads? Did reform alter patters of welfare and employment?
    • How did low-income families in the county adapt to time limits and other dimensions of welfare reform? What were their experiences in the labor market? Were they better or worse off economically?
    • What were the conditions of neighborhoods in the county before and after welfare reform? In particular, were poor neighborhoods better or worse off after reform?

    Sample

    Researchers randomly selected recipients of cash assistance and/or food stamps in May 1995 who were single mothers, between the ages of 18 and 45, and lived in neighborhoods where either the poverty rate exceeded 30% or the rate of welfare receipt exceeded 20%. The first wave of interviews took place between March 1998 and April 1999; over 80% of the sample (3,960 respondents) completed a survey. The second wave took place between March and November 2001; over 85% of the wave 1 respondents (3,260 respondents) completed a survey in wave 2. The report samples include only those who were receiving cash assistance at baseline, but this dataset includes the full sample, including those who were receiving food stamps only at baseline (N = 3,960).

    Time Method

    Longitudinal: Cohort / Event-based

    Universe

    Welfare-receiving single mothers.

    Unit(s) of Observation

    Individual

    Data Type(s)

    Mode of Data Collection

    Description of Variables

    The study covers the following topics:

    • Demographic/Background Questions
    • Education/Employment Training
    • Labor Force/Employment
    • Marriage/Household Composition/Housing
    • Income Source/Expenditures
    • Material Hardship
    • Welfare Experiences
    • Health and Health Care
    • Fertility and Childbearing
    • Child Care
    • Parenting
    • Absent Father Involvement-Child A
    • Academic Progress-Child B
    • Parenting-Child B
    • Absent Father Involvement-Child B
    • Self-Administered Questionnaire (SAQ) on topics such as substance use and domestic violence
    • Interviewer Observations

    Response Rates

    Wave 1: 80%; Wave 2: 85% of Wave 1.

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    Original Release Date

    2022-03-14

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    Notes