Liz Krueger and John E. Seley

Workfare programs, such as the one in New York City, actually undermine effective job searches, argue Liz Krueger and John E. Seley in the following viewpoint. They maintain that these programs make finding viable employment more difficult by placing welfare recipients in low-skill jobs and curtailing efforts to obtain an education. In addition, the authors contend, workfare programs will result in lost jobs and lower wages. Krueger is the associate director of the Community Food Resource Center in New York City. Seley is a professor of urban studies and environmental psychology at the City University of New York.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Lawrence Mishel and John Schmitt, as cited by the authors, how much income would be lost to low-wage workers throughout the United States...