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Eat (and Drink) Better Tonight: Food Stamp Benefit Timing and Drunk Driving Fatalities

Author

Listed:
  • Chad Cotti

    (University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, University of Connecticut)

  • John Gordanier

    (University of South Carolina)

  • Orgul Ozturk

    (University of South Carolina)

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between the timing of food stamp benefits and daily alcohol-related fatal accidents. We exploit substantial exogenous variation in state food stamp distribution dates and enrollment numbers to estimate the relationship using binary outcome and count data frameworks. Our main result is that, in contrast to previous work on income receipt and mortality, alcohol-related accidents with fatalities are substantially lower on the date of food stamp receipt, and the result is largely driven by a same-day effect. Further, this effect is only present on weekdays. We find no effect of receipt on non-alcohol-related accidents. We hypothesize that this is possibly driven by families being more likely to eat at home on distribution days.

Suggested Citation

  • Chad Cotti & John Gordanier & Orgul Ozturk, 2016. "Eat (and Drink) Better Tonight: Food Stamp Benefit Timing and Drunk Driving Fatalities," American Journal of Health Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 2(4), pages 511-534, Fall.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:amjhec:v:2:y:2016:i:4:p:511-534
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. East, Chloe N. & Friedson, Andrew I., 2018. "An Apple a Day? Adult Food Stamp Eligibility and Health Care Utilization Among Immigrants," IZA Discussion Papers 11445, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Jorge M. Agüero, 2019. "Information and Behavioral Responses with More than One Agent: The Case of Domestic Violence Awareness Campaigns," Working papers 2019-04, University of Connecticut, Department of Economics.
    3. Jillian B. Carr & Analisa Packham, 2021. "SNAP Schedules and Domestic Violence," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 40(2), pages 412-452, March.
    4. Elena Castellari & Chad Cotti & John Gordanier & Orgul Ozturk, 2017. "Does the Timing of Food Stamp Distribution Matter? A Panel‐Data Analysis of Monthly Purchasing Patterns of US Households," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(11), pages 1380-1393, November.
    5. Cotti, Chad & Gordanier, John & Ozturk, Orgul, 2018. "When does it count? The timing of food stamp receipt and educational performance," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 40-50.
    6. Cotti, Chad D. & Gordanier, John M. & Ozturk, Orgul D., 2020. "Hunger pains? SNAP timing and emergency room visits," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    7. Brett Watson & Mouhcine Guettabi & Matthew Reimer, 2020. "Universal Cash and Crime," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 102(4), pages 678-689, October.
    8. Deiana, Claudio & Geraci, Andrea & Mazzarella, Gianluca & Sabatini, Fabio, 2021. "COVID-19 Relief Programs and Compliance with Confinement Measures," IZA Discussion Papers 14064, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Marianne P. Bitler & Christian Gregory, 2019. "Food Access, Program Participation, and Health: Research Using FoodAPS," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 86(1), pages 9-17, July.
    10. Lovett Nicholas, 2018. "Food Stamps, Income Shocks, and Crime: Evidence from California," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 18(4), pages 1-19, October.
    11. Jillian B. Carr & Analisa Packham, 2019. "SNAP Benefits and Crime: Evidence from Changing Disbursement Schedules," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 101(2), pages 310-325, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    SNAP benefits; food stamps; EBT; drunk driving;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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