Safety Net Use Research Articles

Low-Income Households of Children With Autism and the Economic Safety Net

ObjectiveThis paper examines the distribution, parameters, and determinants of safety net program use among a nationally representative sample of low-income children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). MethodsWe used data from the 2021 National Survey of Children’s Health to produce population estimates of material hardship and safety net program use among 554 low-income households of children with ASD, ages 3 to 17 years, relative to 2831 children with other special health care needs (SHCN) and 8758 children with no SHCN of the same age. Design-adjusted multivariate logistic regression models identified predictors of cash assistance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and disconnection from both. ResultsThere were few significant differences in material hardship between children with ASD and those with other SHCN, although children with ASD experienced significantly higher levels of hardships compared to children with no SHCN. Having a child with ASD did not significantly increase the odds of safety net use. Health insurance and household income were stronger predictors of use than disability. Nine percent of disconnected children lived in households under 100% federal poverty level and experienced some type of material hardship. ConclusionsFuture research about the economic security of children with ASD and their families could focus on the following 3 areas of inquiry: assess how race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic position interact with disability to influence safety net program use; examine the intersection between Medicaid and safety net programs at the state and national levels; and identify specific subgroups of children at risk for disconnection and understand why they are not accessing benefits.

The association of COVID-19 employment shocks with suicide and safety net use: An early-stage investigation.

This paper examines whether the COVID-19-induced employment shocks are associated with increases in suicides and safety net use in the second and third quarters of 2020. We exploit plausibly exogenous regional variation in the magnitude of the employment shocks in Japan and adopt a difference-in-differences research design to examine and control for possible confounders. Our preferred point estimates suggest that a one-percentage-point increase in the unemployment rate in the second quarter of 2020 is associated with, approximately, an additional 0.52 suicides, 28 unemployment benefit recipients, 88 recipients of a temporary loan program, and 10 recipients of public assistance per 100,000 population per month. A simple calculation based on these estimates suggests that if a region experienced a one-percentage-point increase in the unemployment rate caused by the COVID-19 crisis in the second quarter of 2020, which is roughly equivalent to the third-highest regional employment shock, this would be associated with 37.4%, 60.5%, and 26.5% increases in the total, female, and male suicide rates respectively in July 2020 compared with July 2019. These results are primarily correlational rather than causal due to the limitation of our data and research design, but our baseline findings are robust to several different model specifications.

Putting out the ‘unwelcome mat:’ The Announced Public Charge Rule reduced safety net enrollment among exempt noncitizens

Government action shapes the perceived and actual costs of citizens’ interactions with the state. By manipulating these costs, policymakers can affect citizens’ willingness to engage with the state, strongly impacting short- and long-term wellbeing. In September 2018, the Trump administration announced its intention to change how an immigrant’s likelihood of becoming a “public charge” would be evaluated. Once adopted, the rule would penalize certain classes of noncitizens for using safety net programs, potentially jeopardizing their application for permanent residence. We hypothesize that this proposed change increased psychological and learning burdens for low-income immigrants well beyond those directly impacted by the rule. Specifically, we used difference-in-differences models to analyze whether the announcement reduced safety net use among two groups exempt from the rule’s provisions: any WIC enrollee and noncitizen SNAP enrollees that are already legal permanent residents, refugees, or asylees. Even though the WIC program was excluded from the proposed rule, we find reductions in overall WIC use after the announcement. In addition, we show that SNAP enrollment decreased differentially after the announcement for noncitizens, nearly all of whom were likely exempt from the rule.

Work-related traumatic brain injury in the construction industry in Sweden and Germany

Work-related traumatic brain injuries (wrTBIs) in the construction industry have been studied in North America but, to the best of our knowledge, not in Europe. This study analyzed sets of public data on head injuries occurring in the construction industry from the workers’ compensation systems in Sweden and Germany, 2014 – 2018.The ratio of wrTBI varied from 11% to 61% of all head injuries, with higher ratios for more severe injuries. The average yearly incidence (per 100,000 FTE) of wrTBI resulting in more than four days absence from work was nine in Sweden and 117 in Germany, as compared to 22–212 in North American studies. A limitation of studies based on workers’ compensation claims is that they underestimate the true burden of wrTBI.The most frequent events leading to wrTBI were falls, followed by loss of control, failure of material agents, and body movements without stress. Falls from a height caused 35% of all wrTBI with more than 14 days off work in Sweden and 57% of all new injury pensions granted in Germany. In North American studies, 52–78% of the wrTBI were caused by falls. This highlights the relevance of fall safety measures to reduce wrTBI in the construction industry, such as avoiding work at heights, use of safety nets, education, and etcetera. The energy absorption of safety helmets mainly protects the head excluding face of which 49–62% were wrTBI, indicating that helmet testing standards should evaluate protection against TBI as well as skull fractures.

States’ Rights and State Wrongs: SNAP Work Requirements in Rural America

A resurgence in work requirements for safety net programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), has marked the early years of the Trump administration. Some lawmakers at both the federal and state level have moved to revive and expand SNAP’s work requirements, despite evidence that such work requirements do little to increase self-sufficiency or improve long-term economic outcomes among those living in poverty. This chapter takes up the issue of work requirements in the context of rural communities, where the need for safety net programs and food system supports is acute. Indeed, data suggest that rural communities are more reliant on SNAP and that the program, like other safety net programs, has greater positive, poverty-alleviation benefits for rural recipients than for urban ones. At the same time, work requirements are particularly poor fits for rural communities, which tend to be characterized by weak labor markets; lack of economic opportunity; and other structural deficits such as geographic isolation, lack of access to transportation, and insufficient childcare. Such factors make it especially difficult for rural residents to satisfy work requirements and thus retain access to SNAP. This chapter takes up the issue of SNAP work requirements in the context of rural America. We begin with a brief overview of SNAP and examine the recent push to make SNAP work requirements more strict. We then turn to an overview of the need and current state of use of the social safety net in rural America. If work requirements are to be effective — and, indeed, appropriate — work opportunities must be available. We therefore consider employment data and information on safety net use across the rural-urban axis. Finally, we present a case study about the results of relatively early efforts to impose work requirements on SNAP receipt in Maine. While safety network requirements are politically popular, in practice they often fail to achieve their goals of promoting self-sufficiency and in fact worsen the plight of those already suffering the ill-effects of poverty and food insecurity.

Food insecurity and hunger safety net use among single-room occupancy tenants in San Francisco, CA

ABSTRACTWe used a cross-sectional survey to explore the prevalence of food insecurity and use of hunger safety net programs, as well as the extent that they are associated, among 595 single-room occupancy tenants living within high-poverty neighborhoods in San Francisco, CA. The population was primarily male (73%) and over 55 years old (59%). 84% were classified as food insecure. 46% used free grocery programs, 44% used free dining rooms, and 34% used free home-delivered meals. Adjusted regressions estimated an inverse relationship (OR 0.91, 95% CI: 0.8, 1.0) between free home-delivered meals and food insecurity, suggesting a potential protective association.

Healthful, Cultural Foods and Safety Net Use Among Cambodian and Brazilian Immigrant Communities in Massachusetts.

Declining health and food security status among low-income immigrants in the U.S. may result from limited access to healthful, cultural foods and safety net programs. We held focus group discussions with low-income Cambodian and Brazilian immigrants (11 groups, n = 84) living in Massachusetts. Cambodians and Brazilians valued healthful, cultural foods, emphasizing their beliefs that cultural foods are healthier and beneficial for weight management and aging. Although both groups could access these foods, some individuals had difficulty affording them. Cambodians reported that food quality decreased over the month due to inadequate resources. Cambodians relied on SNAP, WIC, families, and food pantries; however, Brazilians generally did not participate in safety net programs. Barriers to accessing and using safety nets appear to limit diet quality for some immigrant families. Targeted nutrition interventions should build on current knowledge of and desire for healthful, cultural foods in the context of available safety nets.

Prevalence of Food Insecurity in Low-Income Neighborhoods in West Texas

ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of food insecurity and the coping strategies and to investigate the role of safety nets among low-income households in urban and rural west Texas. DesignThe Core Food Security Module, an 18-item scale, was used in a cross-sectional purposeful convenience sample comparing rural and urban households, whereas the demographic survey assessed participation in food assistance/safety net programs. SettingRural and urban neighborhoods in west Texas. ParticipantsSample size of 191 participants from low-income households, predominantly African American and Hispanic people. Main Outcomes MeasuresLevels of food insecurity and use of safety nets. AnalysesComparisons between rural and urban households and between food-secure and food-insecure households were analyzed using the chi-square test of independence for categorical variables. Fisher's exact test was used whenever the number in each cell was < 5 in 2 × 2 contingency tables. ResultsPrevalence of household and child food insecurity in west Texas was 63% and 43%, respectively. Forgoing balanced meals was a common coping strategy. There was high intake of affordable energy-intense foods. Conclusions and ImplicationsThe high prevalence of food insecurity in low-income households in west Texas led to high intake of energy-intense food with low nutrients, resulting in higher prevalence of anemia, obesity, and other chronic diseases. There was low participation in safety net programs. Educational interventions on food choices are recommended.

Changes in Safety Net Use During the Great Recession.

We examine how participation in social safety net programs differs by income-to-poverty levels, and how that relationship changed after the Great Recession. We define income-to-poverty based on the average of 2 years of merged CPS data, and investigate program participation among households with income less than 300 percent of poverty. We find changes in both the level and distribution of safety-net program participation during the Great Recession, with SNAP expanding most at the bottom, the EITC expanding most in the middle, and UI expanding most at the top of the income ranges that we investigate; TANF did not expand.

Satellite Remote Sensing in Agriculture and Food Security Assessment

NASA provides daily satellite remote sensing observations on a wide variety of environmental parameters at the global scale, including rainfall, temperature, vegetation health, ocean productivity and soil moisture conditions. Many organizations and individuals use this data to better understand the Earth system using models and diagnose the impact of climate on agricultural productivity. Weather related extreme events trigger food insecurity by reducing the supply of food and incomes of households working in the agriculture sector. Models and other ecosystem-based assessments can be used to inform decisions regarding food security and human health outcomes of changes in access to food. In this talk, I provide a description of the various monitoring products that have been developed by the US Agency for International Development and World Food Program's systems to monitor food production in food insecure regions, along with graphics and explanations as to how the products are used.Information on local food market prices and food affordability, nutrition outcomes, school attendance, the use of safety nets and other ancillary data are brought together with remote sensing information to inform food security. Satellite data is increasingly used to assess the amount of food grown globally, particularly in a new system entitled ‘Global Agriculture Geo-monitoring Initiative (GEOGLAM). The system seeks to harmonize production assessments across nations and regions using satellite data to ensure a comprehensive and transparent assessment of how much food will be available for sale in international markets every month. As the climate changes, improved integration of social and economic food security indicators with climate observations from satellites will become increasingly important to ensure food security for all.

Political Economy of Recent Global Food Price Shocks: Gainers, Losers and Compensatory Mechanism

Food prices have increased steadily since 2003 to become a real burden to the poor and net purchasers of food, although price shocks could be an opportunity to stimulate agricultural production and enhance the contribution of agriculture to medium-run growth. In short, the recent food price shocks make gainers and losers. The complexity of the concerns is examined in a political economy analysis of the phenomenon. More specifically, countries have been differentiated according to their degrees of vulnerability to the rising food prices. The second step examined the heterogeneities in the macroeconomic effects of the rising food prices on malnutrition, public spending, current account balances and food production in developing countries, emphasising the specificities of African countries, the position of the countries as food importers or exporters, as oil exporters or not and finally on the political climate–conflict or post-conflict–that prevailed right before 1995–2006. The findings are that food inflation increases malnutrition, pushes up public spending and dampens the current account balances in vulnerable countries, whereas it constitutes a financial opportunity for less vulnerable countries and/or for vulnerable but net food-exporting countries. While oil exports absorb the negative effects of food price shocks, African specificities tend to magnify those effects. Actual responses of countries remain limited in number, despite the great number of policy options that have been designed by international organisations. While severe budget constraints are binding on the use of safety nets, administrative policies often constrain the considered economy. An alternative compensatory mechanism is to sustain agricultural supply response by converting the food price shocks into real price incentives in the developing countries, upon undertaking the appropriate and viable investment in the sector.

Crises and the Poor: Socially Responsible Macroeconomics

Macroeconomic crises not only affect the current living standards of the poor, but their ability to grow out of poverty. This paper presents evidence on the impact of economic crisis on poverty and inequality in Latin America. Crises not only result in higher poverty rates but also may cause irreversible damage to the human capital of the poor. In light of this evidence, the author concludes that crisis avoidance and a pro-poor response to crisis should be a major component of a poverty reduction strategy. As a result, the paper analyses the role of exchange rate policy, capital controls and countercyclical fiscal policy in generating or avoiding crisis. Responses to macroeconomic crisis are assessed by considering the effects of different policy combinations, the use of safety nets and the composition of fiscal adjustment to protect the income of the poor in the face of macroeconomic adjustment. The main lesson is that socially responsible macroeconomic policy can protect the poor during times of crisis and simultaneously contribute to lower chronic poverty.

Crises and the Poor: Socially Responsible Macroeconomics

This paper presents evidence on the impact of economic crisis on poverty and inequality in Latin America. Crises not only result in higher poverty rates but also may cause irreversible damage to the human capital of the poor. In light of this evidence, the author concludes that crisis avoidance and a pro-poor response to crisis should be a major component of a poverty reduction strategy. As a result, the paper analyses the role of exchange rate policy, capital controls and countercyclical fiscal policy in generating or avoiding crisis. Responses to macroeconomic crisis are assessed by considering the effects of different policy combinations, the use of safety nets and the composition of fiscal adjustment to protect the income of the poor in the face of macroeconomic adjustment. The main lesson is that socially responsible macroeconomic policy can protect the poor during times of crisis and simultaneously contribute to lower chronic poverty.