Alternative Measures of Economic Well-Being and Hardship: Evidence from Early TANF Recipients in Wisconsin

Maria Cancian, University of Wisconsin
Daniel Meyer, University of Wisconsin

In this paper we consider the income and economic well-being of women who entered Wisconsin's TANF program in its first year and identify which ones might be considered "successful." We analyze alternative measures of success including, for example, poverty status, welfare dependency, and economic hardship and consider measures of the level, change over time, and stability of economic status. Administrative data are drawn from the TANF, child support, and Unemployment Insurance programs. Survey data are from the Survey of Wisconsin Works Families, a two wave panel study of a stratified random sample of 3,000 mothers included in these administrative data. The survey provides information on experiences of economic hardship, support of friends, family, and charitable institutions, and employment skills and experiences. The analysis documents the extent to which estimates of the number and characteristics of successful families are sensitive to a range of alternative conceptualizations of success, and different data sources and related measures.