The food stamp program and food insufficiency

Craig Gundersen, Victor Oliveira

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Food stamp participants have higher food insufficiency rates than eligible nonparticipants, even after controlling for other factors. Given the Food Stamp Program's prominent role in the alleviation of hunger, this is a counterintuitive result. We conjecture that these higher rates are due to adverse selection insofar as households more likely to be food insufficient are also more likely to receive food stamps. We establish a theoretical framework to address this adverse selection. Using a simultaneous equation model with two probits, we show that once one controls for this adverse selection, food stamp recipients have the same probability of food insufficiency as nonrecipients.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)875-887
Number of pages13
JournalAmerican Journal of Agricultural Economics
Volume83
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2001
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Food insecurity
  • Food insufficiency
  • Food stamps
  • Simultaneous equation models

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous)
  • Economics and Econometrics

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