SAGE Journal Articles

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SAGE Journal User Guide

Article 1.

Parish, S. L., Rose, R. A., & Andrews, M. E. (2010). TANF's impact on low-income mothers raising children with disabilities. Exceptional Children, 76(2), 234-253. doi:10.1177/001440291007600206

In this analysis of National Survey of America’s Families, the authors explore the effects of TANF on employment, welfare use, and marriage among poor and near-poor mothers of children with disabilities.  The article describes the unique barriers to employment faced by this population and offers policy and programmatic recommendations. 

Questions:

  1. Why are families of children with disabilities more likely to experience financial instability?  List and describe three factors that contribute to the precarious financial situations of these families. 
  2. What is the research question that motivated this study? 
  3. What do the findings suggest about the effect of TANF on employment rates of different groups (e.g., poor and near-poor married women, poor and near-poor single women)?
  4. How do the caregiving responsibilities in families of children with disabilities create additional barriers for complying with TANF work requirements? 
  5. What overall conclusions do the authors draw with respect to TANF’s effects on (a) employment, (b) marriage rates, and (c) welfare use among families of children with disabilities? 

Article 2.

Sykes, J., Križ, K., Edin, K., & Halpern-Meekin, S. (2014). Dignity and dreams: What the earned income tax credit (EITC) means to low-income families. American Sociological Review, doi:10.1177/0003122414551552

Drawing on qualitative interviews, this sociological analysis explores how the Earned Income Tax Credit offers both monetary relief for poor families and a sense of social inclusion and citizenship. 

Questions:

  1. Describe the central purpose and function of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). 
  2. What three features of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) allow it to avoid the pitfalls of other anti-poverty income maintenance programs? 
  3. How does the EITC contribute to social inclusion in ways that wages (earnings) and welfare do not?  What are some of the other effects of the EITC on families in or near poverty?