The Urban Institute maintains this database to describe cash assistance programs that vary by state. Data are available from 1996 to 2009, sourced from caseworker manuals, state regulations, AFDC State Plans, and Waiver Terms and Conditions. Users can search and compare welfare rules by state, year, and rule category.
Use Cases
- Compare cash assistance program rules between states based on the state-level data.
- Research changes in welfare rules over time based on the year-by-year data from 1996 onward.
- Obtain up-to-date information on state-specific program rules based on the database's search functionality.
- Analyze policy implementation differences based on the categories of welfare rules.
Strengths
- Data spans 14 years, from 1996 to 2009.
- Sources include official documents like caseworker manuals and state regulations.
- Maintained by the Urban Institute, a social and economic policy research center.
Limitations
- Row count and column definitions are unknown, limiting suitability assessment.
- Data is not current; the latest confirmed year is 2009.
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
Provenance
- Source
- Urban Institute
- Collection Method
- Compiled from caseworker manuals, state regulations, AFDC State Plans, and Waiver Terms and Conditions.
- Time Range
- 1996-2009
- Geography
- United States (state-level)