Food Stamp Participation among Adult‐Only Households |
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Authors: | David C Ribar Marilyn Edelhoch Qiduan Liu |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Economics, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, P.O. Box 26165, Greensboro, NC 27402, USA.;2. Division of Family Assistance, South Carolina Department of Social Services, 1535 Confederate Avenue, Columbia, SC 29202, USA.;3. Institute for Families in Society, University of South Carolina, 1600 Hampton Street, Suite 507, Columbia, SC 29208, USA. |
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Abstract: | Several recent changes in the Food Stamp Program have been directed toward households without children, including new work requirements for able‐bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) and easier application and recertification procedures for the disabled and the elderly. Despite their relevance to policy makers, adult‐only households have not been extensively examined. We use administrative records from South Carolina to investigate how spells of food stamp participation for adult‐only households vary with ABAWD provisions, recertification intervals, and other characteristics. We find that households that were subject to ABAWD policies had shorter spells and lower rates of food stamp participation than other households. We also find that households were much more likely to leave the Food Stamp Program at recertification dates than at other dates. We further find that time limits were associated with exits with and without earnings, suggesting that this policy increased self‐sufficiency for some households but left others without support. |
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