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Interventionist Preferences and the Welfare State: The Case of In-Kind Aid

Author

Listed:
  • Sandro Ambuehl
  • B. Douglas Bernheim
  • Tony Q. Fan
  • Zach Freitas-Groff

Abstract

Why is in-kind aid a prominent feature of welfare systems? We present a lab-in-the-field experiment involving members of the general U.S. population and SNAP recipients. After documenting a widespread desire to limit recipients’ choices, we quantify the relative importance of (i) welfarist motives, (ii) utility or disutility derived from curtailing another’s autonomy, and (iii) absolutist attitudes concerning the appropriate form of aid. Choices primarily reflect the two non-welfarist motives. Because people systematically misperceive recipient preferences, their interventions are more restrictive than they intend. Interventionist preferences and non-welfarist motives are more pronounced among the political right, particularly when recipients are black.

Suggested Citation

  • Sandro Ambuehl & B. Douglas Bernheim & Tony Q. Fan & Zach Freitas-Groff, 2025. "Interventionist Preferences and the Welfare State: The Case of In-Kind Aid," CESifo Working Paper Series 11830, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11830
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    in-kind aid; paternalism; welfare transfers; SNAP; food stamps.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D04 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Microeconomic Policy: Formulation; Implementation; Evaluation
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • H53 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Welfare Programs
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs

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