The dynamics of immigrant welfare receipt: An examination of AFDC spell exit rates by nativity, language, immigration status, and length of United States residence

This dissertation investigates the importance of immigration-related characteristics-nativity, race/ethnicity, language, citizenship, immigration status, calendar year of entry, and length of U.S. residence--on the duration of participation in the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program. The research includes survival analysis using administrative and survey data from the California Work Pays Demonstration Project, a sample of 20,000 households receiving AFDC between 1992 and 1996 in four California counties.;Examination of recipient native and immigrant households reveals large differences in important characteristics. For example, immigrant households contain more children and adults and the adults in these households exhibit lower levels of educational attainment and work experience. According to economic theory, these factors, among others, may explain variation in exit rates by nativity.;Spell analysis of administrative data identities large differences in exit rates by race/ethnicity and language. Non-whites and non-English speakers exit AFDC much more slowly than English-speaking Whites, and wide variation in spell duration exists across language and ethnic groups. Speakers of Armenian and Southeast Asian languages exhibit particularly low exit rates. In addition, the administrative data reveal that refugees exit welfare more slowly than do other immigrants. No measurable differences in duration exist among legal non-refugees, IRCA legalized aliens, or undocumented immigrants.;Analysis of survey data allows measurement of the distinct effects of nativity and language by distinguishing households into three groups: English-speaking natives, English-speaking immigrants, and non-English-speaking immigrants. Results indicate English-speaking immigrants exhibit exit rates more similar to those of natives than to those of non-English-speaking immigrants. This suggests that language spoken, rather than place of birth, is the key variable associated with exit rates. This variation is not explained by characteristics such as household size, marital status, and educational attainment. Among otherwise similar households, non-Whites and non-English speakers still exit AFDC more slowly than English-speaking Whites. Finally, investigation of the effect of length of U.S. residence prior; to welfare receipt reveals that households entering AFDC immediately upon arrival in the U.S. exhibit lower exit rates than households with delayed welfare entry following immigration. However, no consistent differences in exit rates are observed by length of U.S. residence within ethnic groups.