Discusses the history and prevalence of welfare fraud using interviews and case studies.

In 1976, Ronald Reagan hit the campaign trail with an extraordinary account of a woman committing massive welfare fraud. The story caught fire and a devastating symbol of the misuse government programs was born: the Welfare Queen. Overthrowing the Queen examines these legends of fraud and abuse while bringing to light personal stories of hardship and hope told by cashiers, bus drivers, and business owners; politicians and aid providers; and, most important, aid recipients themselves. Together these stories reveal how the seemingly innocent act of storytelling can create not only powerful stereotypes that shape public policy, but also redemptive counter-narratives that offer hope of a more accurate, fair, and empathetic view of poverty in America today. Overthrowing the Queen tackles perceptions of welfare recipients while proposing new approaches to the study of oral narrative that extend far beyond the study of welfare, poverty, and social justice.

In this study, David Greenberg and Douglas Wolf describe, systematize, and evaluate the cost effectiveness of computerized anti-fraud procedures in public welfare programs. In particular, they discusss the Congressionally mandated wage matching systems used to check for under-reported or non-reported incomes of participants in the AFDC and Food Stamp Programs. The authors describe the implementation of such systems in several local areas around the country, point out factors that currently impede the use of wage matching, and suggest ways of reducing such impediments. They also enumerate the advantages and disadvantages of alternative wage matching procedures and techniques, both in theory and practice. Cost benefit analyses of four existing wage matching systems are then presented. Finally, the authors present their conclusions and make recommendations. This volume is complete with a flow chart showing the operation of a typical wage-matching system, and a table summarizing the costs and benefits to the government of running such systems.