Working Paper: NBER ID: w30112
Authors: Marianne Bitler; Janet Currie; Hilary W. Hoynes; Krista J. Ruffini; Lisa Schulkind; Barton Willage
Abstract: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a widely used program. Previous research shows that WIC improves birth outcomes, but evidence about impacts on children and families is limited. We use a regression discontinuity leveraging an age five when children become ineligible for WIC and examine nutritional and laboratory outcomes for adults and children. We find little impact on children who aged out of the program. But among adult women caloric intake falls and food insecurity increases, suggesting that mothers protect children by consuming less themselves. We find no effect on others in the household.
Keywords: WIC; food insecurity; nutrition assistance; spillover effects; regression discontinuity
JEL Codes: H51; H53; I18; I38
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Aging out of the WIC program at age five (I38) | Nutritional outcomes of children who are categorically eligible for WIC (I24) |
| Aging out of the WIC program at age five (I38) | Caloric intake of adult women living with children (J13) |
| Aging out of the WIC program at age five (I38) | Food insecurity among adult women living with children (I32) |
| Caloric intake of adult women living with children (J13) | Food insecurity among adult women living with children (I32) |
| Loss of WIC benefits (I38) | Protective behaviors of mothers (J13) |