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Decision Making for Former Welfare Recipients: The Analytic Network Process Approach

Since welfare reform in the U.S., many have left welfare rolls and have found jobs. But they have faced barriers to job retention in a tight labor market due to few skills, limited education, and lack of work experience, and have had difficulty in meeting the basic needs of their families. Using the analytic network process approach, this study examines the best policy for state governments to help former welfare recipients improve their economic situation and attain self-sufficiency. The additive synthesis finds that among four alternatives, assistance with supportive services is the best overall option to help people who have left welfare become economically self-sufficient, since it has the most benefits, the most opportunities, the lowest costs, and the fewest risks. This assistance must cover not only the needs of individuals, but also their families’ needs, in order to best help those who left welfare and faced barriers to finding and retaining employment make a better transition from welfare to work.