Behavioral Food Subsidies

99 Pages Posted: 19 Jul 2019 Last revised: 29 Jun 2022

See all articles by Andy Brownback

Andy Brownback

University of Arkansas

Alex Imas

University of Chicago - Booth School of Business

Michael Kuhn

University of Oregon - Department of Economics

Date Written: January 1, 2021

Abstract

We conduct a field experiment with low-income shoppers to study how behavioral interventions can improve the effectiveness of healthy food subsidies. Our unique design enables us to deliver subsidies both before and during grocery shopping. We examine the effects of two non-restrictive changes to the choice environment: giving shoppers agency over the subsidy they receive and introducing a waiting period before a subsidized shopping trip to prompt deliberation about upcoming purchases. These interventions increase healthy food spending by 61% more than a healthy food subsidy alone, resulting in 199% greater healthy spending than in our unsubsidized control group.

Keywords: nutrition, subsidies, agency, deliberation, waiting periods, field experiment

JEL Classification: I12, D91, D12, C93

Suggested Citation

Brownback, Andy and Imas, Alex and Kuhn, Michael, Behavioral Food Subsidies (January 1, 2021). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3422272 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3422272

Andy Brownback (Contact Author)

University of Arkansas ( email )

Fayetteville, AR 72701
United States

Alex Imas

University of Chicago - Booth School of Business ( email )

5807 S. Woodlawn Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637
United States

Michael Kuhn

University of Oregon - Department of Economics ( email )

Eugene, OR 97403
United States

HOME PAGE: http://pages.uoregon.edu/mkuhn

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
542
Abstract Views
3,465
Rank
94,201
PlumX Metrics