IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jfamec/v39y2018i1d10.1007_s10834-017-9528-5.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Receipt of Government Food Assistance: Differences Between Metro and Non-Metro Households

Author

Listed:
  • Robert B. Nielsen

    (University of Georgia)

  • Martin C. Seay

    (Kansas State University)

  • Melissa J. Wilmarth

    (University of Alabama)

Abstract

This research investigated differences in households’ receipt of government food assistance through such programs as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; free and reduced school meals; and related local and/or federal programs. With panel data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation that span the Great Recession, differences in the receipt of government food assistance in metro and non-metro areas were identified. Longitudinal random effects models suggest that despite relatively similar levels of food insecurity in 2005 and 2010, a higher proportion of non-metro households received government food assistance. Results also suggest that this assistance gap widened post-recession when government resources were expanded. These results inform a continuing debate about the efficient allocation of resources intended to reduce food hardship disparities, and increase family economic well-being, in metro and non-metro areas.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert B. Nielsen & Martin C. Seay & Melissa J. Wilmarth, 2018. "The Receipt of Government Food Assistance: Differences Between Metro and Non-Metro Households," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 117-131, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jfamec:v:39:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s10834-017-9528-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s10834-017-9528-5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10834-017-9528-5
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10834-017-9528-5?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mark Rank & Thomas Hirschl, 1993. "The link between population density and welfare participation," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 30(4), pages 607-622, November.
    2. Craig Gundersen & Victor Oliveira, 2001. "The Food Stamp Program and Food Insufficiency," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 83(4), pages 875-887.
    3. Craig Gundersen & Brent Kreider, 2008. "Food Stamps and Food Insecurity: What Can Be Learned in the Presence of Nonclassical Measurement Error?," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 43(2), pages 352-382.
    4. repec:rre:publsh:v:34:y:2004:i:2:p:172-90 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Helen H. Jensen, 2002. "Food Insecurity and the Food Stamp Program," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 84(5), pages 1215-1228.
    6. Unknown, 2014. "Department Publications 2013," Publications Lists 206935, University of Minnesota, Department of Applied Economics.
    7. Bryant,W. Keith & Zick,Cathleen D., 2006. "The Economic Organization of the Household," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521801416, January.
    8. Gundersen, Craig & Jolliffe, Dean & Tiehen, Laura, 2009. "The challenge of program evaluation: When increasing program participation decreases the relative well-being of participants," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 367-376, August.
    9. Josephine Swanson & Christine Olson & Emily Miller & Frances Lawrence, 2008. "Rural Mothers’ Use of Formal Programs and Informal Social Supports to Meet Family Food Needs: A Mixed Methods Study," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 29(4), pages 674-690, December.
    10. Farrigan, Tracey L. & Parker, Timothy S., 2012. "The Concentration of Poverty Is a Growing Rural Problem," Amber Waves:The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, issue 04, pages 1-4.
    11. Nord, Mark & Andrews, Margaret S. & Carlson, Steven, 2008. "Household Food Security in the United States, 2007," Economic Research Report 56483, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    12. Nord, Mark & Golla, Anne Marie, 2009. "Does SNAP Decrease Food Insecurity? Untangling the Self-Selection Effect," Economic Research Report 55955, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    13. Parke Wilde & Mark Nord, 2005. "The Effect of Food Stamps on Food Security: A Panel Data Approach ," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 27(3), pages 425-432.
    14. Lloyd Grieger & Sheldon Danziger, 2011. "Who Receives Food Stamps During Adulthood? Analyzing Repeatable Events With Incomplete Event Histories," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 48(4), pages 1601-1614, November.
    15. Bryant,W. Keith & Zick,Cathleen D., 2006. "The Economic Organization of the Household," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521805278, January.
    16. Congressional Budget Office, 2012. "The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program," Reports 43173, Congressional Budget Office.
    17. Congressional Budget Office, 2012. "The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program," Reports 43173, Congressional Budget Office.
    18. Caroline Ratcliffe & Signe-Mary McKernan & Sisi Zhang, 2011. "How Much Does the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Reduce Food Insecurity?," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 93(4), pages 1082-1098.
    19. Nord, Mark & Andrews, Margaret S. & Carlson, Steven, 2009. "Household Food Security in the United States, 2008," Economic Research Report 55953, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    20. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Gregory, Christian & Singh, Anita, 2014. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2013," Economic Research Report 183589, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    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. Yoshie Sano & Sheila Mammen & Myah Houghten, 2021. "Well-Being and Stability among Low-income Families: A 10-Year Review of Research," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 107-117, July.

    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. Dharmasena, Senarath & Bessler, David A. & Capps, Oral, 2016. "Food environment in the United States as a complex economic system," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 163-175.
    2. Zhang, Jun & Yen, Steven T., 2017. "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and food insecurity among families with children," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 52-64.
    3. Wilson, Norbert L. W. & Zheng, Yuqing & Burney, Shaheer & Kaiser, Harry M., 2016. "Do Grocery Food Sales Taxes Cause Food Insecurity?," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 235324, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    4. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Nord, Mark, 2013. "Food Insecurity Among Households With Working-Age Adults With Disabilities," Economic Research Report 142955, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    5. Ranney, Christine K. & Gomez, Miguel I., 2010. "Food Stamps, Food Insufficiency and Health of the Elderly," Working Papers 126968, Cornell University, Department of Applied Economics and Management.
    6. Weerasooriya, Senal A. & Reimer, Jeffrey J., 2016. "Effects of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Rural and Urban Areas in Oregon," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 235751, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    7. Davis, David & Huang, Rui, 2013. "The Effect of SNAP Benefits for Food Insecurity," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 149827, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    8. Nord, Mark & Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Andrews, Margaret & Carlson, Steven, 2010. "Household Food Security in the United States, 2009," Economic Research Report 262246, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    9. repec:mpr:mprres:7859 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Jiyoon (June) Kim & H. Luke Shaefer, 2015. "Are Household Food Expenditures Responsive to Entry Into the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program?," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 96(4), pages 1086-1102, December.
    11. Zheng, Yuqing & (Jason) Zhao, Jianqiang & Buck, Steven & Burney, Shaheer & Kaiser, Harry M. & Wilson, Norbert L., 2021. "Putting grocery food taxes on the table: Evidence for food security policy-makers," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    12. James Mabli, "undated". "SNAP Participation, Food Security, and Geographic Access to Food," Mathematica Policy Research Reports da75fa3a960c45b08490c8f14, Mathematica Policy Research.
    13. Swann, Christopher A., 2017. "Household history, SNAP participation, and food insecurity," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 1-9.
    14. repec:mpr:mprres:8084 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Helen H. Jensen & Brent Kreider & Oleksandr Zhylyevskyy, 2019. "Investigating Treatment Effects of Participating Jointly in SNAP and WIC when the Treatment Is Validated Only for SNAP," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 86(1), pages 124-155, July.
    16. James Mabli & Jim Ohls & Lisa Dragoset & Laura Castner & Betsy Santos, "undated". "Measuring the Effect of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Participation on Food Security," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 69d901432c7a46779666a240a, Mathematica Policy Research.
    17. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Nord, Mark & Andrews, Margaret S. & Carlson, Steven, 2011. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2011," Economic Research Report 134715, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    18. Otto Lenhart, 2021. "The effects of paid family leave on food insecurity—evidence from California," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 615-639, September.
    19. Andrea Sales S. De A. Melo, 2018. "The ?Bolsa-Família? Program And The Food Insecurity In Brazilian Household Between 2009 And 2013," Anais do XLIV Encontro Nacional de Economia [Proceedings of the 44th Brazilian Economics Meeting] 72, ANPEC - Associação Nacional dos Centros de Pós-Graduação em Economia [Brazilian Association of Graduate Programs in Economics].
    20. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew & Gregory, Christian & Singh, Anita, 2022. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2021," Amber Waves:The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, vol. 2022(Economic ), September.
    21. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P. & Gregory, Christian A. & Singh, Anita, 2020. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2019," Agricultural Economic Reports 305691, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    22. Susan Chen & Le Wang, 2021. "SNAP participation, diet quality, and obesity: robust evidence with estimation techniques without external instrumental variables," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 61(3), pages 1641-1667, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Food assistance; SNAP; WIC; Metro; Rural; SIPP;
    All these keywords.

    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:kap:jfamec:v:39:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s10834-017-9528-5. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.