The Effect of Local Administrative Stringency on the Provision of AFDC

Abstract

This article investigates the impact that variations in local administrative practices including stringency have on the provision of AFDC. It uses a median voter model to conceptualize the choice of optimal local redistributive output, defined as the percentage of a jurisdiction's poor families receiving AFDC. Stringency is hypothesized to be a determinant of administrative effort and related to a number of eligibility related variables. Empirical evidence is offered for 57 New York State county governments for the years of 1970 and 1980. The empirical results demonstrate that differences in administrative effort reduce the poor's participation in AFDC programs. The evidence also partially supports the hypothesis that administrative effort is determined by eligibility related considerations.

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