Evaluating Food Assistance Programs in an Era of Welfare Reform Summary of a Workshop (1999) / Chapter Skim
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3 Research Issues In Evaluating Food Assistance Programs
3 Research Issues In Evaluating Food Assistance Programs
Pages 15-30
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From page 15... ...
The food assistance programs often go beyond meeting a set of specific objectives to provide an entire social and health support system, which consists of an interwoven fabric of programs and services provided by federal, state, and local government agencies, as well many other important local organizations and individuals. The extent to which the Food Stamp Program and other programs will continue to provide this kind of safety net to those in need is at issue.
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From page 16... ...
However, with the strict time limits on assistance for childless adults and the limits on participation of legal immigrants established by PRWORA, a possible decline in Food Stamp Program participation and that of other food assistance programs may occur. As more people leave the welfare rolls under the TANF rules, however, food stamp benefits may be the only assistance for which they qualify, a fact that may result in an increase in Food Stamp Program participation.
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From page 17... ...
A common concern is that participation in food assistance programs gives participants incentives not to work, depending on the benefits provided by the programs rather than pursuing opportunities for earning income. Some labor supply studies suggest that, in fact, food stamp program participation does result in some work reduction effects (Fraker and Moffitt, 1988; Ohls and Beebout,1993~.
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From page 18... ...
An additional reason for continued research is that, as states consider changing the eligibility and benefit provisions of the food assistance programs to conform to TANF, the potential risk of decreasing nutrient intake and thereby adversely affecting recipients' nutritional status, must continue to be monitored in assessments of program effectiveness. This issue is perhaps most important when considering the nutrition, health,
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From page 19... ...
A review of existing studies of differences in nutrient intakes between food stamp participants and nonparticipants failed to show consistent statistically significant effects of program participation on actual nutrient consumption (Fraker, 1990~. However, evidence indicates that poor children who participate in the Food Stamp Program are more likely to consume more than 70 percent of recommended dietary allowances (RDAs)
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From page 20... ...
Findings from the School Nutrition Dietary Assessment study show that participation in the school meal programs does have positive effects on participants' nutritional status. For example, participants in the breakfast program have higher breakfast intakes of calories, calcium, protein, and magnesium, when compared with nonparticipants who eat breakfast (Devaney et al., 1997~.
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From page 21... ...
In discussing studies of nutritional intake, workshop participants raised the issue of selection bias that commonly affects studies that measure the nutritional status of participants in food assistance programs. For example, those who take part in these school meal programs may be more aware of the importance of a proper diet than those who do not participate, and their experience may not truly reflect that of others eligible for food assistance programs.
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From page 22... ...
Households receiving food stamps may substitute the stamps for funds ordinarily devoted to food expenditures, thereby resulting in no increase in food expenditures, or an increase that is less than the dollar amount of food stamp benefits (Devaney et al., 1997~. For instance, studies have shown that for each dollar increase in food stamp benefits, food expenditures increase by 17 to 47 cents (Fraker, 1990~.
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From page 23... ...
Evidence suggests that cash benefits reduce the stigma associated with using food stamp coupons, so overall program participation may increase (Ranney and Kushman, 1987~. Studies suggest, however, that replacing coupons with cash, which is more readily transferred to other uses, would result in a reduction in household food expenditures (Fraker, 1990; Fraker et al., 1995~.
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From page 24... ...
Profiles of Program Participants Workshop participants agreed that analysis of the characteristics of those participating in food assistance programs is important because many policies address issues related to who is being served and because participation rates provide indicators of program access and program effectiveness. The extent to which eligible citizens participate, the characteristics of those who participate (and those who do not)
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From page 25... ...
As mentioned earlier, PRWORA was amended in 1997 to allow states to purchase food stamps from the federal government for use in a state-funded food assistance program for legal immigrants, who were originally barred from participating in several of the food assistance programs without citizenship. Many states did adopt plans to continue to provide food stamps to immigrants, and the FY1999 federal budget eventually restored food stamp benefits to immigrants in the United States.
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From page 26... ...
Thus, the Emergency Food Assistance Program should be evaluated both as a food assistance program and as a substitute for food stamps. Program Operation at the Local Level As states devise their plans for addressing the changes that PRWORA mandates in both welfare programs and food assistance programs, the local offices will probably be the site where these changes are most immediately felt, and this impact is worth studying.
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From page 27... ...
The majority of errors are at the administrative or procedural level; nevertheless, fraud and misuse at all levels of the food assistance programs have always been a concern. PRWORA has several provisions to protect the integrity of the Food Stamp Program.
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From page 28... ...
POVERTY MEASUREMENT Need, as the basic determinant of eligibility for participation in the food assistance programs, has to be defined in a standardized manner to ensure a fair, yet effective program. The majority of the food assistance programs use the federal poverty measurement guidelines as the standard tool to determine eligibility.
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From page 29... ...
For example, Mathematica's STEWARD program uses SIPP data to simulate responses to changes in food stamp policy and state welfare/child care policy. Microsimulation can be very effective when used for purposes such as descriptive analysis of program participants and program interactions.
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From page 30... ...
Workshop participants identified relatively inexpensive methodologies that produce good results: descriptive studies of who is being served by a program; use of existing datasets that can ask such questions as who qualifies for WIC; the use of administrative data; and syntheses of the existing literature, such as Fraker's synthesis of the effectiveness of food assistance programs (Fraker, 1990~. Workshop participants emphasized the need to examine variation in the food assistance programs at the local level, such as variation in the organization and costs of school programs and their participation rates.
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