The new federal block grant program, artlessly named Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, or TANF, no longer compels states to give destitute single mothers cash grants. But bureaucratic inertia being what it is, most states will stick with cash grants with no work requirement for as long as the law allows. Other states will provide cash grants with a workfare requirement, as New York and Wisconsin are already doing. The idea is familiar territory and popular with voters. To replace welfare the right way, states should also take the program out of the hands of the bureaucrats.
Bureaucrats focus on process.
A successful program would focus on outcomes. It's the difference between counting how many people go through a job training program and how many are working for a living. The new welfare law includes goals for achieving minimal levels of work participation and offers incentives for cutting the welfare rolls. But it doesn't seek to achieve minimal lengths of stay in employment. It has no earnings target.