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Why Did the Food Stamp Caseload Decline (and Rise)? Effects of Policies on the Economy

Author

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  • Caroline Danielson
  • Jacob Alex Klerman

Abstract

The Food Stamp Program (FSP) is intended to help low-income households afford a nutritionally adequate diet. Since 1990, the FSP caseload has varied widely-rising sharply in the early 1990s, dropping sharply in the late 1990s, and then rising again in the early 2000s. Welfare and food stamp policy changes, as well as the changing economic climate, are plausible candidates for explaining the path of the caseload over time. The authors estimate the effect of these three factors on the total caseload and on two of its components: persons in households combining cash assistance with food stamps, and persons in households where some or all are not receiving cash assistance. They find that together welfare reform and the improving economy explain all of the FSP caseload decline during the late 1990s, and that policies aimed at increasing access to the FSP and the weakening economy explain about half of the FSP caseload increase in the early 2000s. Results analyzing the disaggregated caseloads are not as clear-cut, apparently because of measurement issues during the period when Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs were implemented.

Suggested Citation

  • Caroline Danielson & Jacob Alex Klerman, 2006. "Why Did the Food Stamp Caseload Decline (and Rise)? Effects of Policies on the Economy," Working Papers WR-386, RAND Corporation.
    • Handle: RePEc:ran:wpaper:wr-386
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jacob Alex Klerman & Caroline Danielson, 2004. "Why Did the Welfare Caseload Decline?," Working Papers WR-167, RAND Corporation.
    2. repec:mpr:mprres:3217 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. repec:mpr:mprres:3218 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Jacob Alex Klerman & Caroline Danielson, 2004. "Why Did the Welfare Caseload Decline?," Working Papers 167, RAND Corporation.
    5. John L. Czajka & Sheena McConnell & Scott Cody & Nuria Rodriguez, 2001. "Imposing a Time Limit on Food Stamp Receipt: Implementation of the Provisions and Effects on Food Stamp Program Participation, Volume I," Mathematica Policy Research Reports aa3fc1932c0243daab3d02910, Mathematica Policy Research.
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    Cited by:

    1. Newman, Constance & Scherpf, Erik, 2013. "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Access at the State and County Levels: Evidence From Texas SNAP Administrative Records and the American Community Survey," Economic Research Report 262218, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    2. Cuffey, Joel & Mykerezi, Elton & Beatty, Timothy, 2015. "Food Assistance and Labor Force Outcomes of Childless Adults: Evidence from the CPS," 2015 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, July 26-28, San Francisco, California 205821, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    3. David C. Ribar & Marilyn Edelhoch & Qiduan Liu, 2008. "Watching the Clocks: The Role of Food Stamp Recertification and TANF Time Limits in Caseload Dynamics," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 43(1).
    4. Mazzolari, Francesca & Ragusa, Giuseppe, 2012. "Time Limits: The Effects on Welfare Use and Other Consumption-Smoothing Mechanisms," IZA Discussion Papers 6993, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Neeraj Kaushal & Qin Gao, 2011. "Food Stamp Program and Consumption Choices," NBER Chapters, in: Economic Aspects of Obesity, pages 223-247, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Colin Gray & Adam Leive & Elena Prager & Kelsey B. Pukelis & Mary Zaki, 2021. "Employed in a SNAP? The Impact of Work Requirements on Program Participation and Labor Supply," NBER Working Papers 28877, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Celhay, Pablo & Meyer, Bruce D. & Mittag, Nikolas, 2024. "What leads to measurement errors? Evidence from reports of program participation in three surveys," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 238(2).

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