Working Paper: NBER ID: w28386
Authors: Timothy N. Bond; Jillian B. Carr; Analisa Packham; Jonathan Smith
Abstract: Monthly government transfer programs create cycles of consumption that track the timing of benefit receipt. In this paper, we exploit state-level variation in the staggered timing of nutritional assistance benefit issuance across households to analyze how this monthly cyclicality in food availability affects academic achievement. Using individual-level score data from a large national college admissions exam in the United States linked to national college enrollment data, we find that taking this high-stakes exam in the last two weeks of the SNAP benefit cycle reduces test scores and lowers the probability of attending a 4-year college for low-income high school students.
Keywords: SNAP; high-stakes exams; college attendance; food insecurity
JEL Codes: I18; I2; I38; J18
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| SNAP benefit timing (I38) | SAT test scores (C12) |
| SNAP benefit timing (I38) | likelihood of attending four-year college (I23) |
| lower SAT test scores (D29) | likelihood of attending four-year college (I23) |
| nutritional resource scarcity (Q34) | SAT test scores (C12) |
| nutritional resource scarcity (Q34) | likelihood of attending four-year college (I23) |