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Full-Text Articles in Health Economics
Work Incentives And The Food Stamp Program, Hilary Hoynes, Diane Schanzenbach
Work Incentives And The Food Stamp Program, Hilary Hoynes, Diane Schanzenbach
Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach
Labor supply theory makes strong predictions about how the introduction or expansion of a social welfare program impacts work effort. Although there is a large literature on the work incentive effects of AFDC and the EITC, relatively little is known about the work incentive effects of the Food Stamp Program and none of the existing literature is based on quasi-experimental methods. We use the cross-county introduction of the program in the 1960s and 1970s to estimate the impact of the program on the extensive and intensive margins of labor supply, earnings, and family cash income. Consistent with theory, we find …
Inside The War On Poverty: The Impact Of Food Stamps On Birth Outcomes, Douglas Almond, Hilary Hoynes, Diane Schanzenbach
Inside The War On Poverty: The Impact Of Food Stamps On Birth Outcomes, Douglas Almond, Hilary Hoynes, Diane Schanzenbach
Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach
This paper evaluates the health impacts of a signature initiative of the War on Poverty: the introduction of the modern Food Stamp Program (FSP). Using variation in the month FSP began operating in each U.S. county, we find that pregnancies exposed to FSP three months prior to birth yielded deliveries with increased birth weight, with the largest gains at the lowest birth weights. We also find small but statistically insignificant improvements in neonatal mortality. We conclude that the sizable increase in income from FSP improved birth outcomes for both whites and African Americans, with larger impacts for African American mothers.
Consumption Responses To In-Kind Transfers: Evidence From The Introduction Of The Food Stamp Program, Hilary Hoynes, Diane Schanzenbach
Consumption Responses To In-Kind Transfers: Evidence From The Introduction Of The Food Stamp Program, Hilary Hoynes, Diane Schanzenbach
Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach
Economists have strong theoretical predictions about how in-kind transfers, such as providing vouchers for food, impact consumption. Despite the prominence of the theory, there is little empirical work on responses to in-kind transfers, and most existing work fails to support the canonical theoretical model. We employ difference-indifference methods to estimate the impact of program introduction on food spending. Consistent with predictions, we find that food stamps reduce out-of-pocket food spending and increase overall food expenditures. We also find that households are inframarginal and respond similarly to one dollar in cash income and one dollar in food stamps.