Calendrier du 19 avril 2018
Travail et économie publique externe
Du 19/04/2018 de 12:30 à 13:45
NOTOWIDIGDO Matthew (Northwestern University)
The Effects of Information and Application Assistance: Experimental Evidence from SNAP
écrit avec Co-author: Amy Finkelstein
This paper develops a framework for evaluating the welfare impact of various interventions
designed to increase take-up of social safety net programs in the presence of potential behavioral
biases. We then calibrate key parameters using a randomized field experiment in which 30,000
elderly individuals not enrolled in - but likely eligible for - the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP) are either provided with information that they are likely eligible or provided
with this information and also offered assistance in applying; a "status quo" control group
receives no contact. Only 6 percent of the control group enrolls in SNAP over the next 9 months,
compared to 11 percent of the Information Only group and 18 percent of the Information Plus
Assistance group. The individuals who apply or enroll in response to either intervention receive
lower benefits and are less sick than the average enrollee in the control group. Despite the
poor targeting properties of the interventions, our rough calculations suggest that they are
nonetheless a cost-effective way to redistribute to low-income individuals relative to other safety
net programs.
Texte intégral