Work

How Much Does the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Reduce Food Insecurity?

Year: 2011

Type: article

Abstract: Nearly 15% of all U.S. households and 40% of near-poor households were food insecure in 2009. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the cornerstone of federal food assistance programs and serves as the first line of defense against food-related hardship. This paper measures the effectiveness of SNAP in reducing food insecurity using an instrumental variables approach to control for selection. Our results suggest that receipt of SNAP benefits reduces the likelihood of being food insecure by roughly 30% and reduces the likelihood of being very food insecure by 20%.

Source: American Journal of Agricultural Economics

DOI: 10.1093/ajae/aar026

Authors: Caroline Ratcliffe, Signe-Mary McKernan, Sisi Zhang

Institution: Urban Institute

Language: English

Topic: Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations

Subfield: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: No poverty, Zero hunger, Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institutes of Health, Economic Research Service, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development