Although welfare state institutions play a central role in protecting social rights and promoting social inclusion, they have come under sharp attack in the last few decades within the United States. Policy reforms have sharply curtailed some forms of welfare assistance and have devolved administration of others from the federal to the state government and from the public to the private sector. Meanwhile, transfers through the tax system have soared. Has the welfare reform movement weakened public assistance generally or merely shifted the funding sources?

The Foundation sparked much debate with the release of Low-Wage America, which suggested that firms employing "high-road" employment strategies could be just as successful as firms that relied mainly on low-cost, low-quality labor. Some critics have suggested that high-road firms may benefit from unobserved advantages that make it possible for them to compete despite their higher wage costs.

Today’s social workers serve diverse populations, and their training routinely requires the successful completion of course work to develop the necessary cultural competence. But how successful is the training social workers receive? Currently, no instrument exists that measures how social work students’ knowledge and/or attitudes change after taking courses on diversity and social justice.