Estimating the Associations between SNAP and Food Insecurity, Obesity, and Food Purchases with Imperfect Administrative Measures of Participation

Charles Courtemanche, Augustine Denteh and Rusty Tchernis

No 11412, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Administrative data are considered the "gold standard" when measuring program participation, but little evidence exists on the potential problems with administrative records or their implications for econometric estimates. We explore issues with administrative data using the FoodAPS, a unique dataset that contains two different administrative measures of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Pro-gram (SNAP) participation as well as a survey-based measure. We first document substantial ambiguity in the two administrative participation variables and show that they disagree with each other almost as often as they disagree with self-reported participation.Estimated participation and misreporting rates can be meaningfully sensitive to choices made to resolve this ambiguity and disagreement. We then document similar sensitivity in regression estimates of the associations between SNAP and food insecurity, obesity, and the Healthy Eating Index. These results serve as a cautionary tale about uncritically relying on linked administrative records when conducting program evaluation research.

Keywords: food expenditures; food purchases; body mass index; obesity; food insecurity; SNAP; food stamps; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; healthy eating index; misreporting; measurement error (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C81 H51 I12 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 41 pages
Date: 2018-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Published - published in: Southern Economic Journal, 2019, 86 (1), 202 228

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Related works:
Journal Article: Estimating the Associations between SNAP and Food Insecurity, Obesity, and Food Purchases with Imperfect Administrative Measures of Participation (2019)
Working Paper: Estimating the Associations between SNAP and Food Insecurity, Obesity, and Food Purchases with Imperfect Administrative Measures of Participation (2018)
Working Paper: Estimating the Associations between SNAP and Food Insecurity, Obesity, and Food Purchases with Imperfect Administrative Measures of Participation (2018)
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