Dynamics of Food Stamp Program Participation, 2001-2003

The study documented in this report explored the following seven research questions on the dynamics of participation in the Food Stamp Program (FSP): 1. What factors lead individuals to enter the FSP? 2. How long do individuals tend to participate? 3. What factors lead individuals to exit? 4. How frequent is program re-entry? 5. How much do individuals rely on the FSP over time? 6. How do participation patterns vary by subgroup. 7. How have participation patterns changed since the early, mid-, and late 1990s? The study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, a descriptive analysis, we explored the characteristics of participation spells observed between from 2001 through 2003. We estimated rates of entry into the FSP among nonparticipants, the duration of participation spells, the likelihood of re-entering within the panel period, and events associated with entry into and exit from the FSP. In the report that follows, we also discuss these estimates in terms of the characteristics of entering and exiting individuals. In the second stage, a multivariate analysis, we looked more closely at the factors associated with entry, duration, and re-entry. So while the descriptive analysis illustrates the relationship between individual-level characteristics and FSP participation, the multivariate analysis captures the relationship between several characteristics and participation patterns. As part of that analysis, we estimated a multivariate entry model and discrete-time hazard exit and re-entry models.