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Fifty Worlds of Welfare: State Discretion and Social Citizenship Since 1994
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Fifty Worlds of Welfare: State Discretion and Social Citizenship Since 1994

Sarah Bruch, Arun Chaudhary, Colin Gordon and KaLeigh White
RSF : Russell Sage Foundation journal of the social sciences, Vol.12(1), pp.34-66
05/01/2026
DOI: 10.7758/RSF.2026.12.1.02
url
https://doi.org/10.7758/RSF.2026.12.1.02View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

The efficacy of social citizenship is determined by the generosity and the inclusiveness of assistance, and by the terms under which such assistance is offered. In the United States, social policies have historically been characterized by deference to private markets, categorical tiers of eligibility, and marked variation across local and state jurisdictions. In this article, we describe and characterize the reconfiguration of American social provision over a three-decade span (1994–2022). Using the State Safety Net Policy (SNNP) dataset, we employ comparable measures of the generosity of assistance and the inclusiveness of receipt across nine safety net programs for low-income families with children. These measures allow us to detail program trends, assess the extent of cross-state variation in provision, and tease out the implications of both for substantive social citizenship in the United States.
 Citizenship Parent Participation Safety Child poverty Deans Design Efficacy Employed Parents Expectation Families & family life Family (Sociological Unit) Federal Programs Insurance Labor force Labor Legislation Labor market Low income groups Personal Autonomy Sanctions Social Behavior Social policy State Policy Supervision Trends Wages Welfare Welfare Services Welfare state

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