We attempt to draw inferences about the potential behavioral responses to means testing Social Security by examining the effects of the Supplementary Security Income (SSI) program for the aged on wealth accumulation and employment.
This paper empirically tests whether the asset limit associated with the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program discourages wealth accumulation by actual and prospective participants.
In the 1960s, economic growth seemed to be the tonic for poverty. From 1960 to 1969, real gross domestic product (GDP) grew at a 4.1 percent average annual rate, while the percentage of all persons in poverty declined at an annualized 5.9 percent.