Abstract

Social policy scholars have raised concerns about the effectiveness and responsiveness of welfare-to-work (WTW) programmes in addressing poverty and economic hardship in the wake of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This article investigates how California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by analysing how its rules and practices have evolved, the values or principles underpinning these changes, and the overall programme performance over time. Using a modified mixed-method research design with secondary data, we analyse up-to-date administrative data and documentations to study programme changes. Our findings highlight a contrasting programme dynamic: limited accessibility for potential clients but enhanced flexibility for current participants. Our findings also reveal a loosened welfare-work nexus in CalWORKs, demonstrated by a shift from a rigid work-first, compliance-oriented model to a more adaptive and responsive model to address diverse family needs. We argue that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated the challenges of the neoliberal, work-first-oriented WTW programmes, presenting a pivotal opportunity to reimagine and reform WTW programmes to enhance the well-being of low-income families in the post-pandemic era.

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