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Hungry for Success? SNAP Timing, High-Stakes Exam Performance, and College Attendance

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  • Timothy N. Bond
  • Jillian B. Carr
  • Analisa Packham
  • Jonathan Smith

Abstract

Monthly government transfer programs create cycles of consumption that track the timing of benefit receipt. If these cycles correspond to critical moments for student learning and achievement, the timing of transfers may have important long-run implications for low-income students. In this paper we exploit state-level variation in the staggered timing of nutritional assistance benefit issuance to analyze effects on academic achievement. Using individual-level data from a large national college admission exam, we find taking this high-stakes exam during the last two weeks of the SNAP benefit cycle reduces test scores and lowers the probability of attending a four-year college.

Suggested Citation

  • Timothy N. Bond & Jillian B. Carr & Analisa Packham & Jonathan Smith, 2022. "Hungry for Success? SNAP Timing, High-Stakes Exam Performance, and College Attendance," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 14(4), pages 51-79, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejpol:v:14:y:2022:i:4:p:51-79
    DOI: 10.1257/pol.20210026
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    Cited by:

    1. Zachary Parolin & Megan Curran & Jordan Matsudaira & Jane Waldfogel & Christopher Wimer, 2022. "Estimating Monthly Poverty Rates in the United States," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(4), pages 1177-1203, September.
    2. Alloush, Mo & Bloem, Jeffrey R., 2022. "The psychological toll of food insecurity," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 204(C), pages 618-630.
    3. Sam Sims, 2021. "The impact of timing of benefit payments on children's outcomes," CEPEO Briefing Note Series 11, UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, revised Feb 2021.
    4. Yoko Ibuka & Junya Hamaaki, 2024. "Income Receipt, Economic Activities, and Health: Evidence from Ambulance Transport Patterns," Working Papers 202401, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Economics.
    5. Jeehoon Han & Bruce D. Meyer & James X. Sullivan, 2022. "Real-Time Poverty, Material Well-Being, and the Child Tax Credit," National Tax Journal, University of Chicago Press, vol. 75(4), pages 817-846.
    6. Marks, Mindy & Prina, Silvia & Tahaj, Redina, 2023. "Short-Term Labor Supply Response to the Timing of Transfer Payments: Evidence from the SNAP Program," IZA Discussion Papers 16299, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Timothy K. M. Beatty & Joakim A. Weill, 2024. "Social Security and High-Frequency Labor Supply: Evidence from Uber Drivers," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2024-079, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs

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