Re-Evaluating the Effects of SNAP on Reducing Food Insecurity: The Roles of Econometric Methods and Heterogeneity

Samir Kunwar and Travis Smith

No 404555, 2026 Annual Meeting, July 26 - 28, 2026, Kansas City, Missouri from Agricultural and Applied Economics Association

Abstract: This paper examines how different econometric models, each with distinct functional form assumptions, influence estimates of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) effect on food insecurity. To address potential endogeneity in SNAP participation, we employ a range of instrumental variables methods, including two-stage least squares, control function approaches, and (recursive) bivariate probit models, analyzing SNAP’s impact under various linear and nonlinear specifications in both the first-stage reduced form and second-stage structural equations. Using data from the 1996-2008 panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), our findings reveal that the magnitude and direction of SNAP’s effect on food insecurity vary across model specifications, with estimates ranging from null effects to reductions of approximately 27 percentage points. Furthermore, heterogeneity analysis indicates that SNAP’s effectiveness is more pronounced among certain subpopulations.

Keywords: Food; Consumption/Nutrition/Food; Safety (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 54
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:aaea26:404555

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.404555

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