Redistributive policy in an individualistic culture: Welfare reform in Pennsylvania, 1996--2002

The influence of political culture on U.S. state welfare policy decisions under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is assessed using mixed methods. A case study of TANF policy-making and implementation in Pennsylvania from 1996 to 2002 examines the impact of political culture on welfare policy outcomes. Quantitative analysis of state TANF policy choices along six dimensions in 47 states from 1998 to 2002 is used to assess the influence of culture on TANF in the states generally. Political culture is conceptualized following the typology of Daniel J. Elazar, who classified states as culturally individualistic, moralistic, or traditionalistic.;Based on the case study and the quantitative analysis, it is argued that Elazar's concept of political culture has considerable power for understanding state TANF policy choices. The research also addresses the influence of social diversity, racial context, economic and fiscal conditions, citizen ideology, and party control and competition. Political culture is found to influence welfare policy independently of these other factors. Robert D. Putnam's concept of social capital---an alternative way of conceptualizing state political culture that complements Elazar's scheme---is also shown to be useful for understanding variation in state TANF policy.;Political culture is found to influence state welfare policy because it influences political institutions, the objectives of political actors who operate within those institutions, and the policy preferences of citizens that policy-makers take into account. Culture is particularly important for understanding state policies that are redistributive in nature, because these policies embody fundamental political values that originate in culture.