Browsing by Author "Rolando, Dominique"
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Item The economics of food, nutrition, and poverty(2019-07) Rolando, DominiqueLow-income households around the United States experience difficulties with food insecurity wherein they struggle to secure enough food for all of their household members. This issue becomes even more complex when considering the nutritional makeup of the food that they are able to secure. This issue is of importance to public policy, especially given rising rates of diet-related diseases among low-income individuals. This thesis explores public policy efforts aimed at improving the consumption of healthy and nutritious foods for low-income individuals. In this dissertation I first investigate the impact of increasing the payout of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payouts on low-income participants’ consumption of different food groups. Secondly, I compare the simulated impact on fruits and vegetables purchases of increasing the food budget of low-income households to providing them a discount on fruits and vegetables. Finally, I evaluate the preferences of food pantry clients towards healthy modifications to their food.Item Food For The Hungry: The Impact of Increased SNAP Payouts on Hunger(Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, 2014-05-03) Rolando, DominiqueIn 2009, Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). This legislation provided an increase in Supplemental Food Assistance Program (SNAP) payouts of 15%, on average. Employing the Linear Probability, Logit and Ordered Logit Difference-in-Difference models, I estimate the impact of this payout increase on reported hunger. I use data from the Food Security Supplement of the Current Population Survey. The results show that increases in SNAP payouts have reduced the probability of being hungry at all in the previous month. Furthermore, when estimating the impact on the frequency of hunger, I find that those who are likely to report being hungry more often experience larger reductions in their probability of being hungry due to increases in SNAP payouts. These findings support the effectiveness of increased SNAP payouts during harsh economic times and further help identify the level of reported hunger for which increasing payouts is more significant.