Trust, Race, and Welfare Reform in the American States

Authors

  • David M. Hedge
  • Renée J. Johnson
  • Hyun Jung Yun

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.2374-7781.2009.30.0.311-332

Abstract

Scholars are rediscovering the social context of politics and governing, including race, trust, and, if recent elections are a guide, America’s “culture wars.” Social capital that network of social relations and the accompanying norms of trust and reciprocity is very much to the point of those dynamics. Evidence from the first round of welfare reform in the late 1990s is used to explore the relationship between elements of social capital, race and state welfare policy choices. The evidence from the welfare case suggests that one element of social capital, generalized trust, often has an independent effect on welfare policies. States with higher levels of trust are more likely to adopt welfare policies that rely on “carrots” rather than “sticks” to move individuals off welfare and into jobs. At the same time the evidence makes it clear that the influence of trust is very much conditioned by racial considerations, most notably the racial composition of welfare caseloads.

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Published

2010-01-01

Issue

Vol. 30: Winter 2009-2010

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Articles

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