From paper to plastic: How the transition to EBT affected SNAP enrollment

C-Tier
Journal: Economics Letters
Year: 2022
Volume: 220
Issue: C

Authors (2)

Melvin, Shamar (not in RePEc) Smith, Travis A. (University of Georgia)

Score contribution per author:

0.503 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 0.5x C-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We duplicate and then build upon Ganong and Liebman (2018) work documenting the effects of unemployment and state policies on enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly The Food Stamp Program). Using the same data and modeling approach, we focus on changes in SNAP enrollment due to counties transitioning from paper vouchers (“stamps”) to Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards. We find the transition to EBT increased SNAP enrollment by roughly 12 percent. Results are robust across several specifications.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:ecolet:v:220:y:2022:i:c:s0165176522003263
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-29