John IfcherAdjunct Assistant ProfessorJohn Ifcher received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley. His recent research investigates lesser studied impacts of welfare reform. For example, one paper investigates the impact of two welfare-to-work programs on General Assistance (GA) recipients (in case you are wondering, GA is a catchall phrase for cash assistance for financially needy individuals that are not covered by the federal safety net). Results indicate that these programs increased employment and welfare exits. Interestingly, the effect on GA recipients is not dissimilar to the effect on Family Assistance recipients. In another project, he is investigating the impact of welfare reform on happiness. To do this, he is comparing the happiness of single mothers before and after welfare reform using two nationally representative surveys. Preliminary results indicate that welfare reform increased happiness. He also received a M.P.A. degree from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University in 1993 and a B.S. in computer science and psychology from the University of Michigan in 1989. He worked for the city of New York as the Senior Advisor to the Parks Commissioner between 1993 and 1998. May 2008 |
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