Welfare Reform and Community Well-Being: Public-Private Collaboration (1997-02)

WELFARE REFORM AND COMMUNITY WELL-BEING: PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATION IN CALIFORNIA COUNTIES (1997-2002)

This applied research project monitored the implementation of welfare reform in California counties between 1997-2002. The focus compares the nature of county planning and governance processes and the policies and programs that result. We are particularly interested in monitoring new relationships between non-profit organizations and county governments. The counties selected for in-depth study - Butte, Kern, Sacramento, San Diego, Tulare and Ventura - represent diverse regions of the state, including both urban and rural areas. The guiding strategy is to identify tensions, ironies and questions experienced in the field, and to interpret these in a broader policy and scholarly context.

Our research team has conducted more than 200 open-ended interviews with welfare, child care and economic development officials, elected leaders, non-profit directors, United Way representatives, community college administrators, members of the business community, and others. As a special supplement to this ongoing research project during spring 1999, we conducted 27 interviews with leaders of faith-related organizations who conduct welfare reform-related activities. Under a contract with Proteus, Inc., a large nonprofit social service and job training agency, we also conducted a case study of non-profit welfare reform engagement in Fresno County.