Benefit receipt in major household surveys is often underreported. This understatement has major implications for our understanding of the economic circumstances of disadvantaged populations and the distributional effects of government programs. This paper examines underreporting of food stamps by combining administrative microdata for the Food Stamp Program (FSP) and nationally representative ...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate nutrient, food intake, and snacking behavior by participation in the WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) program. STUDY DESIGN Secondary data analysis of a nationally representative cross-sectional survey conducted by USDA in 1994 to 1996 and 1998. METHODS Statistical analysis was performed correcting for sample design effects ...

Food-based safety net programs support adequate consumption and contribute to assuring livelihoods. They differ from other safety net programs in that they are tied to the provision of food, either directly, or through cash-like instruments (food stamps, coupons) that may be used to purchase food. Since food provided through a safety net program may be substituted for a household’s current cons...

Background The County of Santa Cruz Human Services Department (schsd) implemented a enefits Call Center (bcc) in March 2007 as a response to an increase in caseload size in Medi-Cal and Food Stamps. The bcc is a concept where ongoing cases are maintained in a banked caseload with no face-to-face client contact except on request. Currently, in Santa Cruz County, the bcc houses Medi-Cal, Food Sta...

Both the Food Stamp Program (FSP) and Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) saw unprecedented caseload growth from the late 1980s until 1994, followed by caseload declines in the following years. These rapid caseload declines are attributed to changing macroeconomic conditions and to substantial changes in program design. First, in the early 1990s, states applied for waivers from feder...

The Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) and Antodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) are important components of India’s social safety net. Shortcomings in these food assistance programs have led to various calls for reform in recent times. As policy makers contemplate changes, lessons from the United States’ reforms of its own Food Stamp Program (FSP) may prove useful in selecting among alternative d...

BACKGROUND In many countries, consumption of fruits and vegetables (F&V) is below recommended levels. We quantify the economic and health effects of alternative policy (P) scenarios aiming to increase F&V consumption: (P1) 3.4% reduction in VAT, (P2) €100/year/person F&V stamp policy designed for low-income consumers (LIC) and (P3) €10 M information campaign. METHODS An economic model of the ...