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The effects of field office closures on social assistance take-up and targeting

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  • Hicks, Jeffrey

Abstract

How does in-person support affect access to safety net programs? I study this question by examining how the closure of field offices has changed welfare and disability assistance caseloads. Using rich administrative data and a staggered difference-in-differences design, I estimate that closures, on average, reduced local caseloads by 11.5% for welfare and a statistically insignificant 1.6% for disability assistance. Declines in welfare caseloads (i) occurred across demographic, health, education, and eligibility groups, (ii) were somewhat larger among young and healthier individuals, and (iii) were suggestively larger among persons less familiar with the programs. On the whole, I find limited change in the relative targeting of benefits.

Suggested Citation

  • Hicks, Jeffrey, 2025. "The effects of field office closures on social assistance take-up and targeting," CLEF Working Paper Series 87, Canadian Labour Economics Forum (CLEF), University of Waterloo.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:clefwp:325487
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bruce D. Meyer & Nikolas Mittag, 2019. "Using Linked Survey and Administrative Data to Better Measure Income: Implications for Poverty, Program Effectiveness, and Holes in the Safety Net," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 11(2), pages 176-204, April.
    2. Andrew Foote & Michel Grosz & Stephanie Rennane, 2019. "The Effect of Lower Transaction Costs on Social Security Disability Insurance Application Rates and Participation," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 38(1), pages 99-123, January.
    3. Rossin-Slater, Maya, 2013. "WIC in your neighborhood: New evidence on the impacts of geographic access to clinics," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 51-69.
    4. Besley, Timothy & Coate, Stephen, 1992. "Workfare versus Welfare Incentive Arguments for Work Requirements in Poverty-Alleviation Programs," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 82(1), pages 249-261, March.
    5. Wu, Derek & Meyer, Bruce D., 2023. "Certification and Recertification in Welfare Programs: What Happens When Automation Goes Wrong?," IZA Discussion Papers 16294, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Derek Wu & Bruce D. Meyer, 2023. "Certification and Recertification in Welfare Programs: What Happens When Automation Goes Wrong?," NBER Working Papers 31437, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • H31 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Household
    • H83 - Public Economics - - Miscellaneous Issues - - - Public Administration
    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare
    • H53 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Welfare Programs
    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy

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