Income Support via a County Board of Social Services: An Interview With Commissioner Carol Cuadrado
by Brad Forenza, MSW, PhD
Feminism is the simple belief in social, economic, and political equality. To this end, a feminist analysis of policy might explore the ways in which women are empowered or disempowered by existing social structures.
In 1996, President Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act into law. This Act, also known as welfare reform, established Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) as the new federal income support program for poor and low-income individuals. But, unlike its predecessor (AFDC), the implementation of TANF can look qualitatively different from state to state. Ergo, the equity or “fairness” of this federal program may come into question from time to time. Much like COVID vaccine implementation, it’s hard to compare one jurisdiction to the next, since no two localities operate exactly the same.
In the corresponding podcast interview with Passaic County (NJ) Commissioner of Social Services, Carol Cuadrado, please consider the ways in which different levels of government (local, state, federal) work in concert to help meet the needs of the consumers they serve, in the most equitable and efficient way possible (and - wherever you live - good luck navigating those vaccines!).
Listen to the interview here:
Brad Forenza, MSW, PhD, is an associate professor at Montclair State University and a recognized scholar of social policy. His research foci pertain to youth development, primary prevention, and civic engagement. His academic career is accentuated by direct social work practice at youth and family development agencies, program evaluation for clients in the human services, and public policy analysis at the state and federal levels. He regularly publishes and presents his work in national and international forums. His original, public scholarship also extends to the organization of practice-oriented events and panels, the production of documentary film and a social welfare podcast, and the authorship of practitioner interviews and many policy speeches.