IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/itaxpf/v32y2025i5d10.1007_s10797-024-09868-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Generosity of food security programs and expected poverty: evidence from variation across Indian states

Author

Listed:
  • Sanjukta Das

    (SIGMA Foundation)

Abstract

The debate over whether food security legislation should follow a targeted approach or aim for universalization persists due to lack of empirical evidence on relative redistributive impacts on the poor. Utilizing a geographic regression discontinuity design, I analyze this question in the context of the world’s largest food security program, the Indian Public Distribution System. A more universal approach to food security reduces the average household’s probability of becoming poor significantly over a strictly targeted approach, by affecting their long term planning to improve living standards through more efficient resource and time allocation. The driving force behind the higher benefits under a universal system is lower errors of excluding eligible households. The impacts on malnutrition are also significantly positive for a more generous system.

Suggested Citation

  • Sanjukta Das, 2025. "Generosity of food security programs and expected poverty: evidence from variation across Indian states," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 32(5), pages 1434-1478, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:itaxpf:v:32:y:2025:i:5:d:10.1007_s10797-024-09868-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s10797-024-09868-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10797-024-09868-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10797-024-09868-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • H53 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Welfare Programs
    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:itaxpf:v:32:y:2025:i:5:d:10.1007_s10797-024-09868-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.