A Privatized Welfare State: How Grocery Store Employees Act as Street-Level Bureaucrats in Distributing SNAP and WIC Benefits

The U.S. welfare state has shifted away from cash benefits and towards reliance on third-party organizations to deliver benefits. For example, grocery store employees play an important role in administering benefits like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which are redeemed in grocery stores. However, we know little about how these employees practice discretion in administering these benefits. Doctoral student in human development Emma Flanagan will investigate how grocery store employees make decisions about administering SNAP and WIC benefits. She will conduct interviews for her study.