JOB ACCESS, COMMUTE AND TRAVEL BURDEN AMONG WELFARE RECIPIENTS

Welfare recipients face a number of obstacles to making the transition from welfare to work. One is their geographical separation from employment opportunities: many welfare recipients live in 'job-poor' neighborhoods far from employment for which they are qualified. Combining administrative data on welfare recipients and employment in Los Angeles with data from the 1990 decennial census, the authors show that greater access to local jobs in low-wage firms increases the likelihood that welfare recipients find employment in neighborhood jobs. Moreover, welfare recipients who have long commutes earn less than those who find work closer to home, contrary to the pattern for most workers. These findings demonstrate that proximity to low-wage jobs benefits welfare recipients through reduced commuting expenses and increased earnings.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00420980
• Corporate Authors:

  Longman Group Limited

  Journals Division, Fourth Avenue
  Harlow, Essex CM19 5AA,   England 
• Authors:
  • Ong, P
  • Blumenberg, E
• Publication Date: 1998

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 77-93
• Serial:
  • Urban Studies
  • Volume: 35
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: Sage Publications, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 0042-0980
  • EISSN: 1360-063X
  • Serial URL: http://usj.sagepub.com/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Access; Commuting; Distance; Jobs; Location; Low income groups; Motor vehicles; Public transit; Travel time; Urban areas; Wages; Welfare recipients; Work trips
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00767434
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 23 1999 12:00AM