The best-case scenario / Katherine S. Newman and Chauncy Lennon -- High flyers, low riders, and the "up but not out" club -- All in the family -- The national picture / Helen Connolly, Peter Gottschalk, and Katherine S. Newman -- Streetwise economics -- Victor Tan Chen and Katherine S. Newman --...

In 1996, President Bill Clinton hailed the 'end of welfare as we know it' when he signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act. The law effectively transformed the nation's welfare system from an entitlement to a work-based one, instituting new time limits on welfare payments and...

Introduction and background -- Good jobs : basic facts and trends over time -- Job quality and volatility : how do they affect worker earnings? -- Job quality and volatility in metropolitan areas : a tale of two (kinds of) cities -- Good jobs and employer dynamics -- Conclusion and policy...

Changing poverty and changing antipoverty policies / Maria Cancian and Sheldon Danziger -- Poverty levels and trends in comparative perspective / Daniel R. Meyer and Geoffrey L. Wallace -- Economic change and the structure of opportunity for less-skilled workers / Rebecca M. Blank -- Family...