Administrative Burden and Procedural Denials: Experimental Evidence from SNAP

Eric Giannella, Tatiana Homonoff, Gwen Rino and Jason Somerville

American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2024, vol. 16, issue 4, 316-40

Abstract: Many government program applications result in procedural denials due to administrative burdens associated with applying. We identify the intake interview as a key barrier to take-up of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and study the effect of an alternative application process designed to reduce burdens. Using a field experiment involving 65,000 Los Angeles applicants, we find that access to flexible interviews initiated by the applicant increases approvals by 6 percentage points, doubles early approvals, and increases long-term participation by over 2 percentage points. Our findings highlight the importance of incorporating flexibility when designing program integrity policies to minimize procedural denials.

JEL-codes: H75 I18 I38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1257/pol.20220701

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