Survey of State Welfare Policymakers, 1996: [United States]

The purpose of this study was to determine the role of citizen input into state welfare and Medicaid policymaking during the early to mid-1990s. The survey, which was conducted during October 1996-February 1997, queried 257 state officials (state legislators, social service agency directors, and senior advisors to governors) about the impetus for welfare reform, the methods used to measure public preferences, and the effectiveness of welfare policies. Policymakers were also asked how much input they sought from the general public and which part of state governments took the most active role in initiating the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Medicaid reforms during the 1990s.