It&Apos;S a Cruel Summer: Household Responses to Reductions in Government Nutrition Assistance
35 Pages Posted: 4 Aug 2017 Last revised: 28 Jan 2021
Date Written: July 2017
Abstract
The appropriate size and scope of government nutrition assistance programs is a regular source of debate among policy-makers, and with calls to reduce government benefits, a clear understanding of household responses to any proposed benefit reduction is critical. Exploiting the design of U.S. nutrition assistance programs, we examine how low-income households reallocate their budgets following an exogenous reduction in nutrition assistance benefits. The magnitude of our results suggests that the budget for an average low-income household with children is severely inflexible and likely unable to absorb more than a $2 to $3 reduction in nutrition benefits per child per week.
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