IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ags/jlaare/31164.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Food Stamp Benefit Formula: Implications For Empirical Research On Food Demand

Author

Listed:
  • Wilde, Parke E.

Abstract

To understand how food stamps affect food spending, nonexperimental research typically requires some source of independent variation in food stamp benefits. Three promising sources are examined: (a) variation in household size, (b) variation in deductions from gross income, and (c) receipt of minimum or maximum food stamp benefits. Based on results of a linear regression model with nationally representative data, 90% of the total variation in food stamp benefits is explained by gross cash income, and household size variables alone. This finding raises concern about popular regression approaches to studying the Food Stamp Program.

Suggested Citation

  • Wilde, Parke E., 2001. "The Food Stamp Benefit Formula: Implications For Empirical Research On Food Demand," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 26(1), pages 1-16, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:jlaare:31164
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.31164
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/31164/files/26010075.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.22004/ag.econ.31164?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Butler, J S & Raymond, Jennie E, 1996. "The Effect of the Food Stamp Program on Nutrient Intake," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 34(4), pages 781-798, October.
    2. Thomas M. Fraker & Alberto P. Martini & James C. Ohls, 1995. "The Effect of Food Stamp Cashout on Food Expenditures: An Assessment of the Findings from Four Demonstrations," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 30(4), pages 633-649.
    3. Parke E. Wilde & Paul E. McNamara & Christine K. Ranney, 1999. "The Effect of Income and Food Programs on Dietary Quality: A Seemingly Unrelated Regression Analysis with Error Components," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 81(4), pages 959-971.
    4. Herman M. Southworth, 1945. "The Economics of Public Measures to Subsidize Food Consumption," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 27(1), pages 38-66.
    5. Fraker, Thomas & Moffitt, Robert, 1988. "The effect of food stamps on labor supply : A bivariate selection model," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 25-56, February.
    6. Moffitt, Robert, 1989. "Estimating the Value of an In-Kind Transfer: The Case of Food Stamps," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 57(2), pages 385-409, March.
    7. J. William Levedahl, 1995. "A Theoretical and Empirical Evaluation of the Functional Forms Used to Estimate the Food Expenditure Equation of Food Stamp Recipients," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 77(4), pages 960-968.
    8. repec:mpr:mprres:3411 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. repec:mpr:mprres:3412 is not listed on IDEAS
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Justine Hastings & Jesse M. Shapiro, 2018. "How Are SNAP Benefits Spent? Evidence from a Retail Panel," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 108(12), pages 3493-3540, December.
    2. Tian, Zheng & Schmidt, Claudia & Goetz, Stephan J., 2022. "The Role of Community Food Services in Reducing U.S. Food Insufficiency in the COVID-19 Pandemic," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 47(3), September.
    3. Mehreen S. Ismail & Michele Ver Ploeg & Virginia Chomitz & Parke Wilde, 2024. "Examining the role of the excess shelter deduction in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit formula," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 46(1), pages 300-317, March.
    4. Parke E. Wilde & Lisa M. Troy & Beatrice L. Rogers, 2007. "Food Stamps and Food Spending: An Engel Function Approach," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 91(2), pages 416-430.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Breunig, Robert & Dasgupta, Indraneel & Gundersen, Craig & Pattanaik, Prasanta, 2001. "Explaining The Food Stamp Cash-Out Puzzle," Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Reports 33869, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    2. Philip M. Gleason & Anu Rangarajan & Christine Olson, "undated". "Dietary Intake and Dietary Attitudes Among Food Stamp Participants and Other Low-Income Individuals," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 7de7096e094445cba404d4e97, Mathematica Policy Research.
    3. Valizadeh, Pourya & Smith, Travis A., 2017. "How Did the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Impact the Material Well-being of SNAP Participants? A Distributional Approach," 2017 Annual Meeting, July 30-August 1, Chicago, Illinois 258496, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    4. Kim, Jiyoon, 2016. "Do SNAP participants expand non-food spending when they receive more SNAP Benefits?—Evidence from the 2009 SNAP benefits increase," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 9-20.
    5. Tuttle, Charlotte, 2016. "The Stimulus Act of 2009 and Its Effect on Food-At-Home Spending by SNAP Participants," Economic Research Report 262193, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    6. Erik Hembre & Katherine McElroy & Shogher Ohannessian, 2024. "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and food expenditures: Evaluating California's cash‐out policy," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 42(3), pages 544-573, July.
    7. Hilary W. Hoynes & Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, 2009. "Consumption Responses to In-Kind Transfers: Evidence from the Introduction of the Food Stamp Program," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 1(4), pages 109-139, October.
    8. repec:mpr:mprres:2567 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Lusk, Jayson L. & Weaver, Amanda, 2017. "An experiment on cash and in-kind transfers with application to food assistance programs," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 186-192.
    10. Jesse Cunha, 2010. "Testing Paternalism: Cash vs. In-kind Transfer in Rural Mexico," Discussion Papers 09-021, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.
    11. Schanzenbach, Diane Whitmore, 2023. "Understanding SNAP: An overview of recent research," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    12. Ryckembusch, David & Frega, Romeo & Silva, Marcio Guilherme & Gentilini, Ugo & Sanogo, Issa & Grede, Nils & Brown, Lynn, 2013. "Enhancing Nutrition: A New Tool for Ex-Ante Comparison of Commodity-based Vouchers and Food Transfers," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 58-67.
    13. Paul Bingley & Ian Walker, 2008. "The Labor Supply Effect of In-Kind Transfers," Working Papers 200820, Geary Institute, University College Dublin.
    14. Amegashie, J. Atsu & Ouattara, Bazoumanna & Strobl, Eric, 2007. "Moral Hazard and the Composition of Transfers: Theory with an Application to Foreign Aid," MPRA Paper 3158, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 06 May 2007.
    15. Beth Osborne Daponte & Amelia Haviland & Joseph B. Kadane, 2001. "To What Degree Does Food Assistance Help Poor Households Acquire Enough Food?," JCPR Working Papers 236, Northwestern University/University of Chicago Joint Center for Poverty Research.
    16. Zagorsky, Jay L. & Smith, Patricia K., 2009. "Does the U.S. Food Stamp Program contribute to adult weight gain?," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 7(2), pages 246-258, July.
    17. Wen You & Paul D. Mitchell & Rodolfo M. Nayga, 2012. "Improving Food Choices Among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Recipients," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 21(7), pages 852-864, July.
    18. Scharadin, Benjamin, 2022. "The efficacy of the dependent care deduction at maintaining diet quality," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    19. D M Zimmer, 2023. "The effect of food stamps on fibre intake," Economic Issues Journal Articles, Economic Issues, vol. 28(2), pages 71-86, September.
    20. Gregory, Christian & Deb, Partha, 2016. "Who Benefits Most from SNAP?," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 236648, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    21. Waehrer, Geetha & Deb, Partha & Decker, Sandra L., 2015. "Did the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act affect dietary intake of low-income individuals?," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 19(C), pages 170-183.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Demand and Price Analysis;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ags:jlaare:31164. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: AgEcon Search (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/waeaaea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.