從歷史角度來看,當代工作福利政策是最先於美國出現和推展,在美國,工作福利政策被視爲消除福利依賴和幫助窮人重返主流社會的最佳方法。然而,若要深入剖析美國福利改革所推動的工作福利政策及其背後蘊含的理論觀點,那麼AFDC是一項在公共政策上具有指標性意義的個案研究對象。在AFDC改革過程中,工作福利政策對福利領受者的工作要求由鼓勵性轉向強制性,這個轉折確實減少了大量福利依賴者,但卻增加了許多工作貧窮者。這意味著工作福利政策的實施可能只是將原先的福利依賴者轉變成生活更困苦的工作貧窮者,回溯這一進程將有助於爲工作福利政策的發展與限制尋求更開拓性的解釋。透過本文的梳理,希望對國內的社會救助政策研究有所裨益。
Contemporary workfare policy originated and reached maturity in the United States. In the US, workfare has been considered the best way to eradicate welfare dependency and to bring the poor back into mainstream society. However, if we want to conduct an in-depth analysis of the theoretical implications of the American workfare policy, AFDC cannot be ignored. During the period of AFDC reform, the workfare rules changed such that getting a job was required rather than being voluntary. This transformation decreased the number of welfare dependents, but it increased the number of working poor. This result implies that the enforcement of workfare policy may do nothing more than trap welfare dependents in the even more difficult situation of working poverty. Tracing the historical origins and processes of AFDC reform can help us develop better explanations for the development and limitations of workfare policy.