This study examines welfare dynamics in Mississippi under the newly created TANF program. Specifically, it examines welfare-to-work transition between 2001 and 2009 and tests several hypotheses regarding individual and contextual characteristics. The data come from multiple sources that include administrative records and publicly available data. Data on TANF transitions come from the Mississippi Department of Human Services. Data on TANF employment come from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. Data on training come from the Mississippi workforce investment system. Information on both neighborhood and labor market characteristics come from the 2000 Census. The findings clearly support the hypothesis that individual and contextual conditions influence the ability of a poor single mother to exit TANF and gain employment. On the other hand, there is weak evidence supporting the hypothesis of welfare dependence when controlling for unobserved characteristics for multiple spells within individuals. The main implication here is that TANF might have indeed addressed the longstanding concern about welfare dependency. The results, however, show that individual and contextual factors still play a role in determining welfare dynamics across poor single mothers with different individual and contextual backgrounds.

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The thesis analyzes the validity of consumer's surplus as a measure of welfare change. The analysis begins by examining the chronological development of the concept. Once an understanding of consumer's surplus is formulated, an evaluation of its use in modern ad hoc problems can be undertaken. Chapter II and III discuss the development of consumer's surplus from Classical economics to its modern reformulations, The concept's application to different problems is discussed in Chapter IV. Chapter V and VI deal with the intergration of consumer's surplus and the compensation principle. The primary conclusion is that the Laspeyres measure, in combination with the compensation test, provides a definitive measure of welfare change in a limited situation.

Thesis advisor: Timothy Duket / The United States of America's official seal is inscribed with the quote “E Pluribus Unum.” Translated from the Latin, this phrase means “From Many, One.” Modern America is in fact one nation, built from many; many cultures, religions, and citizens from many different origins comprise the American polity. America is a nation of immigrants. The first immigrants to this country were fleeing religious persecution. Others have come escaping a life of poverty or political repression. Whatever the reason, immigrants come to America in hope of a better life. Despite America's strong immigrant tradition, the issue of membership in the American polity has been a contentious issue throughout our history. Chinese Exclusion, and the National Origins Quota System are merely two policies implemented with the express purpose of keeping foreigners out of America. Over time, anti-immigrant sentiment in America has been fueled by nativism and the desire to allow economic prosperity to benefit American citizens. While nativism has played an important role in determining American immigration policy, many modern-day arguments for a restrictive immigration policy are based on economic considerations. It is often claimed that immigrants take jobs away from citizens. Economic research has shown that modern-day immigrants tend to be lower skilled and have a lower economic performance than natives. As a result, the presence of a large number of immigrants does create greater job competition and lower wages for citizens in low-paying jobs. The desire to keep jobs available for American citizens has been a primary cause of existing restrictions on immigration. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2003. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology. / Discipline: College Honors Program.

by Leung Shung Chun. / Thesis (M.S.W.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1980.