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The Impact of SNAP on Material Hardships: Evidence From Broad‐Based Categorical Eligibility Expansions
Author(s) -
Han Jeehoon
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
southern economic journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.762
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 2325-8012
pISSN - 0038-4038
DOI - 10.1002/soej.12171
Subject(s) - supplemental nutrition assistance program , snap , recession , food insecurity , great recession , economics , demographic economics , categorical variable , low income , labour economics , food security , mathematics , macroeconomics , statistics , agriculture , geography , computer graphics (images) , archaeology , computer science
This article examines whether expanding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility reduces material hardships of low‐income households. During the Great Recession, many states expanded the income threshold of eligibility for SNAP. I show that expansions in eligibility increased the SNAP participation rate by 3–5 percentage points. I also find that the expansion leads to a modest decrease in nonfood hardships, such as rent and utility delinquencies. However, the increase in SNAP enrollment does not lead to greater food spending or a reduction in food insecurity except for households with children.