This study focuses on the welfare reform in the mid 1990s, collecting data from 50 states. They seek to find out if representation has an effect on welfare policymaking. The researchers have two hypotheses that are tested with two different approaches. The first hypothesis is a single axis hypothesis, “The greater the incorporation of women in the state legislature, the more generous, accessible, flexible, and lenient the state welfare policy.” They control for all of the Black and Latino legislators. They test this with an additive model and the findings reveal contradictions. The presence and power of all legislators appear to have no impact at all on TANF policies.

However when tested with an intersectional approach we see different results The second hypothesis tests to see the potential impact of three different groups- gender and race/ethnicity: women of color, other “white” women, and men of color. The findings reveal that legislative women of color do play a distinct role in welfare policymaking. When examining TANF cash benefits, white women’s projected cash benefit decreases from $531 to $497 compared to women of color, predicted cash benefits increase from $501 to $527. In conclusion, the intersectional model is crucial in understanding women of color role in welfare policymaking. While the additive model when testing all hides the impact of the state legislator’s gender and race/ethnicity.

Beth Reingold and Adrienne R. Smith, “Welfare Policymaking and Intersections of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender in U.S. State Legislatures,” American Journal of Political Science 56, no. 1 (2011): , doi:10.1111/j.1540-5907.2011.00569.x.