An Assessment of the Effectiveness of Anti-Poverty Programs in the United States (pdf)
The system reduces poverty the most for the disabled and the elderly and least for several groups among the nonelderly and non-disabled. Over time, we find that expenditures have shifted toward the disabled and the elderly, and away from those with the lowest incomes and toward those with higher incomes, with the consequence that post-transfer rates of deep poverty for some groups have increased. We conclude that the U.S. benefit system is paternalistic and tilted toward the support of the employed and toward groups with special needs and perceived deservingness.
