Introduction : TANF and other U.S. employment and training programs ; The need for better welfare-to-work practices -- Welfare to work in New York City : Key features ; What employment programs do: an overview -- pt. 1. Shared strategic elements among work-first employment programs : Creating a spirit of partnership ; Getting participants job ready ; Making good job matches ; Promoting employment retention -- pt. 2. Differences in organizational practices among work-first employment programs : Different practices among programs ; Different practices among program types -- pt. 3. Explaining performance differences among work-first employment programs : What works within work-first? -- Nonprofits and for-profits: a closer look ; The role of management and leadership ; Why programs choose suboptimal practices -- Appendices : A. Methodology ; B. Using guided job search ; C. Chapter 9 regression results