INSIDE THE WAR ON POVERTY: THE IMPACT OF FOOD STAMPS ON BIRTH OUTCOMES

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Almond, Douglas; Hoynes, Hilary W.; Schanzenbach, Diane Whitmore
• 署名单位: Columbia University; National Bureau of Economic Research; University of California System; University of California Davis; Northwestern University
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0034-6535
• DOI: 10.1162/REST_a_00089
• 发表日期: 2011-05
• 页码: 387-403
• 关键词: labor-market; weight; welfare; GROWTH; HEALTH; income

摘要

This paper evaluates the health impacts of a signature initiative of the War on Poverty: the introduction of the modern Food Stamp Program (FSP). Using variation in the month FSP began operating in each U.S. county, we find that pregnancies exposed to FSP three months prior to birth yielded deliveries with increased birth weight, with the largest gains at the lowest birth weights. We also find small but statistically insignificant improvements in neonatal mortality. We conclude that the sizable increase in income from FSP improved birth outcomes for both whites and African Americans, with larger impacts for African American mothers.