WELFARE AND THE FAMILY - THE CANADIAN EXPERIENCE

Canada has a universal social assistance program that is almost comple tely administered through the federal Canada Assistance Program. Howev er, provinces determine the levels of assistance for various groups el igible for welfare. This article exploits the variation in payments an d uses microdata to estimate the effect of changes in welfare benefits on welfare participation, single parenthood, births out of wedlock, d ivorce, and labor force participation among low-income women. In Canad a, it would appear that welfare benefits influence these decisions.