Caseworker Subjectivity, SNAP Benefit Receipt, and Labor Supply

Although the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) reached 38 million people in 2019, an estimated 18 percent of eligible households do not participate in the program. Economists Jason Cook and Chloe East will examine the extent to which caseworker discretion impacts SNAP accessibility and the labor market outcomes for applicants who are denied SNAP benefits. They will analyze administrative datasets on SNAP applications and Unemployment Insurance records for their study.