ABSTRACT
Work has been a prominent issue in the national debate over welfare policy for more than twenty years. Most Americans seem to agree that adults who are capable of working should, if possible, contribute to the support of themselves and their dependents. But substantial disagreement arises over the way, if any, this obligation should be imposed by society, the extent to which those who are not self-supporting are capable of becoming so, and the ability of government to help in attaining this end. All of these questions have resurfaced in connection with discussions of "workfare," that is, welfare reforms that link income maintenance to employment programs.
