Welfare reform in Wisconsin - The local role

The article suggests a new model for the implementation of social programs based on welfare reform in Wisconsin. Existing models tend to be top-down o r bottom-up, but in Wisconsin the leading counties and the state government worked interactively to transform welfare. Existing accounts of the Wiscon sin reform stress state-level leadership, but key features such as high par ticipation in work programs and an emphasis on "workfirst" rather than trai ning were developed first in Kenosha and several other counties and then ad opted statewide. The article also dramatizes the critical role of strong pr ogram management and organization.