Critics of the modern American welfare state allege that safety net benefits discourage work by providing sufficient resources to replace earned income. Yet, research in social policy has long depicted the US safety net as parsimonious and inadequate relative to its European counterparts, even when considering benefits from programs that reward favorable work histories. Other theories predict variability across states and regional clustering even amid low overall spending. Moreover, the recent COVID-19 outbreak has exposed the insufficiency and lack of resilience of the major US safety nets in the face of unprecedented unemployment. This study examines the benefit expenditures on three safety net programs available to American families with recently unemployed breadwinners—Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and Unemployment Insurance—as a proportion of median annual income for a given state-year between 1997 and 2017. We examine the overall spending as well as variability and clustering across states. We find that the average benefit expenditure comprises only 42% of median income, and while there is substantial variability around this average, only one state is above 78%. We also find that spending levels appear to be regionally clustered. We conclude that safety nets for the recently unemployed and their families are weak relative to earned income and that the extent of this weakness varies by state, with some regional patterning.

中文翻译：

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应对失业家庭的州级社会安全网

现代美国福利国家的批评者声称，安全网福利通过提供足够的资源来替代劳动收入而阻碍了工作。然而，社会政策研究长期以来一直将美国的安全网描述为相对于欧洲同行而言是吝啬和不足的，即使考虑到奖励良好工作经历的计划的好处。其他理论预测，即使在总体支出较低的情况下，各州和区域集群之间也会存在差异。此外，最近的 COVID-19 爆发暴露了美国主要安全网在前所未有的失业面前的不足和缺乏弹性。本研究调查了最近失业养家糊口的美国家庭可获得的三个安全网计划的福利支出——贫困家庭的临时援助，补充营养援助计划和失业保险——作为 1997 年至 2017 年间给定州年收入中位数的比例。我们检查了总支出以及各州之间的可变性和聚类。我们发现平均福利支出仅占收入中位数的 42%，虽然围绕这一平均值存在很大差异，但只有一个州超过 78%。我们还发现支出水平似乎是区域性的。我们得出的结论是，最近失业者及其家庭的安全网相对于赚取的收入而言较弱，而且这种弱点的程度因州而异，并具有一些区域模式。我们检查了各州的总体支出以及可变性和聚类。我们发现平均福利支出仅占收入中位数的 42%，虽然围绕这一平均值存在很大差异，但只有一个州超过 78%。我们还发现支出水平似乎是区域性的。我们得出的结论是，最近失业者及其家庭的安全网相对于赚取的收入而言较弱，而且这种弱点的程度因州而异，并具有一些区域模式。我们检查了各州的总体支出以及可变性和聚类。我们发现平均福利支出仅占收入中位数的 42%，虽然围绕这一平均值存在很大差异，但只有一个州超过 78%。我们还发现支出水平似乎是区域性的。我们得出的结论是，最近失业者及其家庭的安全网相对于赚取的收入而言较弱，而且这种弱点的程度因州而异，并具有一些区域模式。