California's Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) Program: Three-Year Impacts Data from Six Counties, 1985-1993 (ICPSR 38125)

Version Date: Jun 9, 2022

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Principal Investigator(s):
James A. Riccio, MDRC; MDRC

Series:

https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR38125.v1

Version V1

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Summary

This study contains data on the effectiveness of California's Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) Program, a statewide initiative aimed at increasing the employment and self-sufficiency of recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), the nation's major cash welfare program. Based on three years or more of follow-up data for 33,000 people who entered GAIN between early 1988 and mid-1990, the study examines the program's effects in six counties on employment, earnings, welfare receipt, and other outcomes, as well as findings from a comprehensive benefit-cost analysis. California has the country's biggest AFDC caseload and GAIN is the largest and one of the most ambitious programs operating under the federal Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) Program, created by the Family Support Act of 1988. Operating as California's JOBS program since July 1989, GAIN currently accounts for almost 13 percent of federal spending on JOBS. GAIN is overseen by California's Department of Social Services (CDSS) and administered by the 58 counties.

Citation

Riccio, James A., and MDRC. California’s Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) Program: Three-Year Impacts Data from Six Counties, 1985-1993. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2022-06-09. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR38125.v1

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Funding

California. Department of Social Services, United States Department of Health and Human Services

Subject Terms

Geographic Coverage

Smallest Geographic Unit

County

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, this data collection is restricted from general dissemination. To obtain these restricted files, researchers must agree to the terms and conditions of a Restricted Data Use Agreement in accordance with existing ICPSR servicing policies.

Distributor(s)

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

1985-09-01 -- 1993-09-30

Date of Collection

1988-03 -- 1993-09

Data Collection Notes

  1. 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.

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Study Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) program's effects on employment, earnings, welfare receipt, and other outcomes, in the six counties, as well as conduct a comprehensive benefit-cost analysis.

Study Design

Random assignment for the impact sample began in March 1988 in Butte County and ended in June 1990 in Tulare County. Random assignment periods for each county are as follows:

  • Alameda: July 1989 through May 1990
  • Butte: March 1988 through March 1990
  • Los Angeles: July 1989 through March 1990
  • Riverside: August 1988 through March 1990
  • San Diego: August 1988 through September 1989
  • Tulare: January 1989 through June 1990

Earnings data are available for each sample member from two and a half years prior to random assignment through June 1993. AFDC and Food Stamp payments data are available from 14 months prior to random assignment through June 1993 (in Tulare), July 1993 (in Alameda), August 1993 (in San Diego) or September 1993 (in Butte, Los Angeles, and Riverside). Each sample member has at least 12 quarters of post-random assignment AFDC payments, Food Stamp payments, and earnings data (i.e. quarter 2 through quarter 13).

Sample

All individuals who, during the period of sample intake, were designated at the Income Maintenance office as mandatory registrants for Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) and attended a program orientation at the GAIN office were randomly assigned to either an experimental group, which was eligible to receive GAIN services and was subject to the participation mandate, or to a control group, whose members were not eligible for those services - including GAIN's child care services - and were not subject to the mandate. Members of the control group remained wholly excluded from the GAIN program for at least three years and, with some possible exceptions, for another two years as well. The controls could, however, seek alternative services in the community on their own initiative. There are N = 32,933 total sample members (22,791 Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)-single parent (FGs) and 10, 142 AFDC-unemployed two parent (Us)).

Time Method

Longitudinal

Universe

Welfare recipients in six counties in California.

Unit(s) of Observation

Individual

Data Type(s)

Description of Variables

This study contains variables on participants' Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) payment amounts, Food Stamp payment amounts, employment, earnings, and demographics, such as age, ethnicity, gender, schooling level, and primary language.

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Original Release Date

2022-06-09

Version History

2022-06-09 ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:

  • Performed recodes and/or calculated derived variables.

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Notes