The Capability Approach for the Welfare Programs for Low-Income Moms

Background and Purpose

Although substantial research has examined the impact of public assistance programs on low-income single mothers, limited research has examined the effects of public assistance programs on participants’ capabilities and choices. Therefore, this study applies Amartya Sen’s “capabilities approach” to the No-Limits program, IL, and examines participants’ views on the programs. Sen argued that satisfying material desire is not the only or best way to achieve well-being. His capabilities approach focuses on building participants’ capabilities and increasing their opportunities to choose lives that they value. Poverty should be understood as the experience of deprivation in multiple aspects of life. No-Limits is a non-cash benefit public assistance program for single mothers funded by a community service block grant in Illinois. Most participants do not receive TANF and/or SNAP because they no longer qualify for assistance (typically due to employment or lifetime time limits). Building on theoretical implications from Sen’s approach, this study investigates if and how the No-Limits program improves participants’ capabilities beyond income and whether it effectively involves them in program planning and evaluation processes.

Methodology

This study uses a qualitative case study with in-depth interviews. At the first stage of sampling, we identified 72 participants who had participated in the program for at least 6 months, a period we considered to be the minimum amount of time to produce measurable program outcomes. 20 participants out of 72 were reachable. At the final stage, 16 participants agreed to participate in this study. For data analysis, this study uses template analysis, a method of thematically organizing qualitative data by developing a coding template.

Results

Results indicate that No Limits improves participants’ capabilities to increase their opportunities to achieve their dreams beyond income. We demonstrate how the program focuses on improving participants’ capabilities to increase their opportunities to achieve their dreams. Revitalizing sometimes forgotten dreams and involving participants in the goal-setting process seem to motivate participants to put more effort into action. Participants value connection with concrete resources, skills training, and emotional support from caseworkers. However, we find the program doesn’t consider participants’ different personal, social, and environmental factors constraining individuals' capability achievement (conversion factors). The program also has no mechanism for incorporating participants’ feedback on the program into practice.

Conclusions and Implications

Given a lack of financial, emotional, and relational resources, poor single mothers have insufficient chances to pursue their dreams or achieve their purposes in life. The capabilities approach argues that low-income people have a human right to dream about what they want to do or to be beyond their current economic lives. No-Limits demonstrates that public assistance programs can support this right. Achieving dreams requires more investment and support than material survival. The capabilities-building approach suggests that programs should provide multiple types of support to participants, including diverse resource connections, skills training, emotional support, and network building, to improve their capabilities to achieve their dreams. On the other hand, the limitations of No-Limits suggest that including welfare recipients in the program design and evaluation processes is crucial.