摘要：It is common to gauge the success of welfare policy by the reduction in the number of families receiving assistance. If caseload reduction were genuinely the barometer of achievement, the sensible strategy would be to abolish cash assistance altogether. But when polled, voters consistently affirm support for social assistance for those in need, especially if aid is made conditional on work or other strategies leading to self-support. Many have voiced suspicion that smaller caseloads may have been purchased at the cost of greater family distress
