The Tack and Significance of Research on Public Assistance

A Survey of Members of the National Association for Public Assistance Research

Abstract

The National Association for Public Assistance Research (NAPAR) was reconstituted in response to a 1993 incident where a social worker's satirical poem about a welfare recipient was published in its journal. Based on interviews with members of the NAPAR, this work examines how the NAPAR viewed its research efforts after the incident and the significance of those efforts. Results revealed that experienced welfare social workers who were surveyed have various views of the welfare profession and that they wish to be employed full-time. This work also revealed that the research efforts of the NAPAR do not merely advocate for the interests of welfare recipients and welfare social workers' calls for the design of a system that is more amenable to recipients. Rather, the NAPAR serves as a forum for members of the Association to mutually support one another.