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Case | HBS Case Collection | June 2015

1996 Welfare Reform in the United States

by Matthew Weinzierl, Katrina Flanagan and Alastair Su

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Abstract

On August 22, 1996, U.S. President Bill Clinton signed into law the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA)—a dramatic reform of the American system of economic assistance for the poor that, as its title suggested, attempted to encourage labor force participation rather than reliance on federal support. Clinton's decision to support a proposal that substantially cut spending on economic assistance was controversial among members of the Democratic Party, especially so close to the 1996 election. Republicans, in contrast, hailed the signing of PRWORA. Was the 1996 welfare reform a triumph of centrist policymaking that would establish a more sustainable version of economic assistance for poor Americans, or was it a dangerous first step toward the gradual disappearance of that assistance? Whose vision of American society did it represent?
Instructors may also obtain a Teaching Note, written by this case's author, that provides suggestions for using this case effectively in the classroom.

Keywords: welfare state; Poverty; public goods; moral hazard; median voter theorem; Poverty; Welfare or Wellbeing; Public Administration Industry; United States;

Language: English Format: Print 26 pages EducatorsPurchase

Citation:

Weinzierl, Matthew, Katrina Flanagan, and Alastair Su. "1996 Welfare Reform in the United States." Harvard Business School Case 715-030, June 2015.

Related Work

  1. Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | October 2015

    1996 Welfare Reform in the United States

    Matthew C. Weinzierl

    Keywords: median voter theorem; moral hazard; Voting; Ethics;

    Citation:

    Weinzierl, Matthew C. "1996 Welfare Reform in the United States." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 716-021, October 2015.  View Details
    CiteView DetailsPurchase Related

About the Author

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Matthew C. Weinzierl
Joseph and Jacqueline Elbling Professor of Business Administration
Business, Government and the International Economy

View Profile »
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More from the Author

  • Case | HBS Case Collection | February 2014 (Revised October 2019)

    Should Corporate Profits Be Taxed? (A)

    Matthew Weinzierl, Katrina Flanagan, Michael Cianellli, Matthew Weinzierl, Katrina Flanagan and Michael Cianellli

    Taxing corporations is popular, but why? Corporations do not bear the burden of taxes, people do, and the incidence of the corporate income tax burden is likely to be far different from what many of its supporters assume.
    Instructors may also obtain a Teaching Note, written by this case's author, that provides suggestions for using this case effectively in the classroom.

    Keywords: Economic versus statutory incidence; Basics of corporate taxation; Business Ventures; Taxation; Profit;

    Citation:

    Weinzierl, Matthew, Katrina Flanagan, and Michael Cianellli. "Should Corporate Profits Be Taxed? (A)." Harvard Business School Case 714-033, February 2014. (Revised October 2019.)  View Details
    CiteView DetailsEducatorsPurchase Related
  • Supplement | HBS Case Collection | October 2019

    Should Corporate Profits Be Taxed? (B)

    Matthew C. Weinzierl and Michael Cianelli

    Citation:

    Weinzierl, Matthew C., and Michael Cianelli. "Should Corporate Profits Be Taxed? (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 720-015, October 2019.  View Details
    CiteView Details Related
  • Case | HBS Case Collection | February 2014 (Revised October 2019)

    Should Corporate Profits Be Taxed? (A)

    Matthew Weinzierl, Katrina Flanagan, Michael Cianellli, Matthew Weinzierl, Katrina Flanagan and Michael Cianellli

    Taxing corporations is popular, but why? Corporations do not bear the burden of taxes, people do, and the incidence of the corporate income tax burden is likely to be far different from what many of its supporters assume.
    Instructors may also obtain a Teaching Note, written by this case's author, that provides suggestions for using this case effectively in the classroom.

    Keywords: Economic versus statutory incidence; Basics of corporate taxation; Business Ventures; Taxation; Profit;

    Citation:

    Weinzierl, Matthew, Katrina Flanagan, and Michael Cianellli. "Should Corporate Profits Be Taxed? (A)." Harvard Business School Case 714-033, February 2014. (Revised October 2019.)  View Details
    CiteView DetailsEducatorsPurchase Related
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