Hungry for Success? SNAP Timing, High-Stakes Exam Performance, and College Attendance

Timothy Bond, Jillian Carr, Analisa Packham and Jonathan Smith

American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2022, vol. 14, issue 4, 51-79

Abstract: Monthly government transfer programs create cycles of consumption that track the timing of benefit receipt. If these cycles correspond to critical moments for student learning and achievement, the timing of transfers may have important long-run implications for low-income students. In this paper we exploit state-level variation in the staggered timing of nutritional assistance benefit issuance to analyze effects on academic achievement. Using individual-level data from a large national college admission exam, we find taking this high-stakes exam during the last two weeks of the SNAP benefit cycle reduces test scores and lowers the probability of attending a four-year college.

JEL-codes: H75 I18 I21 I23 I38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Working Paper: Hungry for Success? SNAP Timing, High-Stakes Exam Performance, and College Attendance (2021)
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DOI: 10.1257/pol.20210026

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