The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), a commodity-based program, and the coupon-based Fo... more The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), a commodity-based program, and the coupon-based Food Stamp Program can, for a given level of expenditure, serve more needy households than either program can serve alone. TEFAP distributes Government surpluses and purchased commodities to needy households. Although TEFAP expenditures ($300 million per year since 1989) are small compared with those of the Food Stamp Program ($23.6 billion in FY1993), a commodity-based program such as TEFAP can complement food stamps by distributing food to households unwilling to apply for food stamps because of complicated application procedures and the stigma attached to food stamps. TEFAP can also increase awareness of eligibility for food stamps and other Federal assistance. This report compares üie programs* recipients, effects on food and nonfood markets, and benefit/cost ratios.
Larger marginal impacts on household food spending come from food stamps than from equivalent cas... more Larger marginal impacts on household food spending come from food stamps than from equivalent cash income, according to previous studies. These studies have been limited, however, in using food expenditure equations that are linear in the coefficients, placing prior constraints on the estimated marginal propensities to spend (MPS) from cash and from stamps. This article re-examines the earlier MPS estimates in light of a more general and flexible food expenditure equation, comparing estimates from a common data set under alternative functional forms. The article estimates changes in food spending that would result under each functional form from "cashing out" food stamps, and replacing stamps with equivalent cash benefits. Results show that MPS estimates vary widely depending on functional form, past estimates tended to substantially exaggerate the cash-out effect in reducing food spending, and the most general, consistent, and flexible forms show a 10-cent reduction in fo...
This book is a condensed and edited version of a report issued in January 1977 by the Antitrust D... more This book is a condensed and edited version of a report issued in January 1977 by the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department inquiring into the impact on both producers and consumers of the Department of Agriculture's regulatory practices in the dairy industry. This report emphasizes a comprehensive approach in reviewing all aspects of federal regulation and the role of producer cooperatives. For this reason it is an important addition to the continuing debate on the public policy implications of regulated milk markets. 1
The Nation s domestic food assistance programs provide an impor-tant source of food for many low-... more The Nation s domestic food assistance programs provide an impor-tant source of food for many low-income people. However, even with these programs, some low-income households may still not get enough to eat. The 1995 Food Security Survey found that nearly 12 percent of ...
ABSTRACT Results indicate that transitory, relative to permanent, income affects the timing but n... more ABSTRACT Results indicate that transitory, relative to permanent, income affects the timing but not the magnitude of automobile expenditure. Five permanent income estimators are used, including expected income reported by the households. Predictions using this particular measure indicate instances of significant improvement, suggesting that direct measurement of anticipated income may help predict automobile expenditure.
This paper combines expressions for infant formula retail price flexibilities of the contract bra... more This paper combines expressions for infant formula retail price flexibilities of the contract brand with respect to the rebate and participant demand presented by Reed and Levedahl (2012)with historical data on rebates and participant demand to calculate how the magnitude of net taxpayer costs has been affected by changes in rebates and participant demand. These results are used to compare the relative impact of these variables on the net cost to taxpayers of WIC infant formula and to evaluate how effective sole-source contracts have been at containing taxpayer costs.
Survey data before and after the statewide implementation of an Electronic Benefit Transfer syste... more Survey data before and after the statewide implementation of an Electronic Benefit Transfer system in Maryland is used to estimate the impact of this system on net food expenditure out of Food Stamp Program (FSP) benefits and income. A reduction in the net food expenditure from FSP benefits relative to income reduces the FSP's ability to target food expenditure.
AGRIS record. Record number, US1999011053. Titles, All food stamp benefits to be issued electroni... more AGRIS record. Record number, US1999011053. Titles, All food stamp benefits to be issued electronically. Personal Authors, Oliveira, V. (ERS, USDA.),Levedahl, JW. Publication Date, (Jan-Apr 1998). AGRIS Subj. Cat. Nutrition programmes. ...
This study analyzes the relationship between Food Stamp Program (FSP) caseloads and the macroecon... more This study analyzes the relationship between Food Stamp Program (FSP) caseloads and the macroeconomy using annual State-level panel data for 1980-99. It is the first study to link the time-series properties of the data to an interpretation of public assistance program policy. A longrun relationship involving FSP caseload equation and the macroeconomy is estimated but requires that Aid to Families with Dependent Children/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (AFDC/TANF) caseloads be included as an explanatory variable. The resulting equation that connects trends in the economy with the trend in FSP caseloads indicates that the economic expansion in the 1990s permanently lowered future FSP caseloads below what they would be otherwise. The potential for the economy to change the trend in FSP caseloads is in contrast to its role presented in previous studies in which the economic expansion of the 1990s is seen as causing only a temporary decrease in FSP caseloads that dies out over ti...
Changes in both retail and wholesale infant formula prices can affect the ability of WIC to suppl... more Changes in both retail and wholesale infant formula prices can affect the ability of WIC to supply infant formula to participants. This paper constructs a joint relationship that links national wholesale and retail infant formula prices to economic and policy variables. This joint framework provides a richer interpretation of current issues and questions associated with these markets than frameworks intent on explaining either retail or wholesale prices alone. We show how this framework can be implemented empirically, and demonstrate how it can be used to obtain empirical estimates of retail and wholesale price flexibilities with respect to rebates, and with respect to changes in WIC participation. Both have implications for cost containment.
Price and income elasticities of fat from meats are estimated by decomposing composite demand for... more Price and income elasticities of fat from meats are estimated by decomposing composite demand for meat into the produ ct of total calories, the fraction of calories eat as fat, and a residual measure of quality. This demand-characteristic system provides estimates of the impact of prices and income on the fraction of calories eaten as fat as well as their affect on the total consumption of fat. Empirical estimates of the comp ensated own-price elasticities of meats suggest that a fat tax designed to raise revenues to finance nutritional education efforts may increase the total consumption of fat.
Using a procedure by Deaton (1990) and data from a cross-sectional survey by CREST price elastici... more Using a procedure by Deaton (1990) and data from a cross-sectional survey by CREST price elasticities of demand for three types of FAFH facilities are computed.
When elementary prices move strictly proportionately, aggregation over a group of diverse product... more When elementary prices move strictly proportionately, aggregation over a group of diverse products is valid, and group demand responses can be decomposed into quality and quantity responses. This study shows that when relative elementary prices and group prices are stochastically independent, a similar decomposition is valid. Empirical results suggest consumers respond to changes in prices and income mostly by altering the quality of meat products. These findings imply that using commercial disappearance as a proxy for food demand can be misleading for policy analysis. Key words: commodity aggregation, Composite Commodity Theorem, composite demand, Generalized Composite Commodity Theorem, quantity-quality decomposition
Two aggregation schemes for food demand systems are tested for consistency with the Generalized C... more Two aggregation schemes for food demand systems are tested for consistency with the Generalized Composite Commodity Theorem (GCCT). One scheme is based on the standard CES classification of food expenditures. The second scheme is based on the Food Guide Pyramid. Evidence is found that both schemes are consistent with the GCCT.
ABSTRACT Results indicate that transitory, relative to permanent, income affects the timing but n... more ABSTRACT Results indicate that transitory, relative to permanent, income affects the timing but not the magnitude of automobile expenditure. Five permanent income estimators are used, including expected income reported by the households. Predictions using this particular measure indicate instances of significant improvement, suggesting that direct measurement of anticipated income may help predict automobile expenditure.
The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), a commodity-based program, and the coupon-based Fo... more The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), a commodity-based program, and the coupon-based Food Stamp Program can, for a given level of expenditure, serve more needy households than either program can serve alone. TEFAP distributes Government surpluses and purchased commodities to needy households. Although TEFAP expenditures ($300 million per year since 1989) are small compared with those of the Food Stamp Program ($23.6 billion in FY1993), a commodity-based program such as TEFAP can complement food stamps by distributing food to households unwilling to apply for food stamps because of complicated application procedures and the stigma attached to food stamps. TEFAP can also increase awareness of eligibility for food stamps and other Federal assistance. This report compares üie programs* recipients, effects on food and nonfood markets, and benefit/cost ratios.
Larger marginal impacts on household food spending come from food stamps than from equivalent cas... more Larger marginal impacts on household food spending come from food stamps than from equivalent cash income, according to previous studies. These studies have been limited, however, in using food expenditure equations that are linear in the coefficients, placing prior constraints on the estimated marginal propensities to spend (MPS) from cash and from stamps. This article re-examines the earlier MPS estimates in light of a more general and flexible food expenditure equation, comparing estimates from a common data set under alternative functional forms. The article estimates changes in food spending that would result under each functional form from "cashing out" food stamps, and replacing stamps with equivalent cash benefits. Results show that MPS estimates vary widely depending on functional form, past estimates tended to substantially exaggerate the cash-out effect in reducing food spending, and the most general, consistent, and flexible forms show a 10-cent reduction in fo...
This book is a condensed and edited version of a report issued in January 1977 by the Antitrust D... more This book is a condensed and edited version of a report issued in January 1977 by the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department inquiring into the impact on both producers and consumers of the Department of Agriculture's regulatory practices in the dairy industry. This report emphasizes a comprehensive approach in reviewing all aspects of federal regulation and the role of producer cooperatives. For this reason it is an important addition to the continuing debate on the public policy implications of regulated milk markets. 1
The Nation s domestic food assistance programs provide an impor-tant source of food for many low-... more The Nation s domestic food assistance programs provide an impor-tant source of food for many low-income people. However, even with these programs, some low-income households may still not get enough to eat. The 1995 Food Security Survey found that nearly 12 percent of ...
ABSTRACT Results indicate that transitory, relative to permanent, income affects the timing but n... more ABSTRACT Results indicate that transitory, relative to permanent, income affects the timing but not the magnitude of automobile expenditure. Five permanent income estimators are used, including expected income reported by the households. Predictions using this particular measure indicate instances of significant improvement, suggesting that direct measurement of anticipated income may help predict automobile expenditure.
This paper combines expressions for infant formula retail price flexibilities of the contract bra... more This paper combines expressions for infant formula retail price flexibilities of the contract brand with respect to the rebate and participant demand presented by Reed and Levedahl (2012)with historical data on rebates and participant demand to calculate how the magnitude of net taxpayer costs has been affected by changes in rebates and participant demand. These results are used to compare the relative impact of these variables on the net cost to taxpayers of WIC infant formula and to evaluate how effective sole-source contracts have been at containing taxpayer costs.
Survey data before and after the statewide implementation of an Electronic Benefit Transfer syste... more Survey data before and after the statewide implementation of an Electronic Benefit Transfer system in Maryland is used to estimate the impact of this system on net food expenditure out of Food Stamp Program (FSP) benefits and income. A reduction in the net food expenditure from FSP benefits relative to income reduces the FSP's ability to target food expenditure.
AGRIS record. Record number, US1999011053. Titles, All food stamp benefits to be issued electroni... more AGRIS record. Record number, US1999011053. Titles, All food stamp benefits to be issued electronically. Personal Authors, Oliveira, V. (ERS, USDA.),Levedahl, JW. Publication Date, (Jan-Apr 1998). AGRIS Subj. Cat. Nutrition programmes. ...
This study analyzes the relationship between Food Stamp Program (FSP) caseloads and the macroecon... more This study analyzes the relationship between Food Stamp Program (FSP) caseloads and the macroeconomy using annual State-level panel data for 1980-99. It is the first study to link the time-series properties of the data to an interpretation of public assistance program policy. A longrun relationship involving FSP caseload equation and the macroeconomy is estimated but requires that Aid to Families with Dependent Children/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (AFDC/TANF) caseloads be included as an explanatory variable. The resulting equation that connects trends in the economy with the trend in FSP caseloads indicates that the economic expansion in the 1990s permanently lowered future FSP caseloads below what they would be otherwise. The potential for the economy to change the trend in FSP caseloads is in contrast to its role presented in previous studies in which the economic expansion of the 1990s is seen as causing only a temporary decrease in FSP caseloads that dies out over ti...
Changes in both retail and wholesale infant formula prices can affect the ability of WIC to suppl... more Changes in both retail and wholesale infant formula prices can affect the ability of WIC to supply infant formula to participants. This paper constructs a joint relationship that links national wholesale and retail infant formula prices to economic and policy variables. This joint framework provides a richer interpretation of current issues and questions associated with these markets than frameworks intent on explaining either retail or wholesale prices alone. We show how this framework can be implemented empirically, and demonstrate how it can be used to obtain empirical estimates of retail and wholesale price flexibilities with respect to rebates, and with respect to changes in WIC participation. Both have implications for cost containment.
Price and income elasticities of fat from meats are estimated by decomposing composite demand for... more Price and income elasticities of fat from meats are estimated by decomposing composite demand for meat into the produ ct of total calories, the fraction of calories eat as fat, and a residual measure of quality. This demand-characteristic system provides estimates of the impact of prices and income on the fraction of calories eaten as fat as well as their affect on the total consumption of fat. Empirical estimates of the comp ensated own-price elasticities of meats suggest that a fat tax designed to raise revenues to finance nutritional education efforts may increase the total consumption of fat.
Using a procedure by Deaton (1990) and data from a cross-sectional survey by CREST price elastici... more Using a procedure by Deaton (1990) and data from a cross-sectional survey by CREST price elasticities of demand for three types of FAFH facilities are computed.
When elementary prices move strictly proportionately, aggregation over a group of diverse product... more When elementary prices move strictly proportionately, aggregation over a group of diverse products is valid, and group demand responses can be decomposed into quality and quantity responses. This study shows that when relative elementary prices and group prices are stochastically independent, a similar decomposition is valid. Empirical results suggest consumers respond to changes in prices and income mostly by altering the quality of meat products. These findings imply that using commercial disappearance as a proxy for food demand can be misleading for policy analysis. Key words: commodity aggregation, Composite Commodity Theorem, composite demand, Generalized Composite Commodity Theorem, quantity-quality decomposition
Two aggregation schemes for food demand systems are tested for consistency with the Generalized C... more Two aggregation schemes for food demand systems are tested for consistency with the Generalized Composite Commodity Theorem (GCCT). One scheme is based on the standard CES classification of food expenditures. The second scheme is based on the Food Guide Pyramid. Evidence is found that both schemes are consistent with the GCCT.
ABSTRACT Results indicate that transitory, relative to permanent, income affects the timing but n... more ABSTRACT Results indicate that transitory, relative to permanent, income affects the timing but not the magnitude of automobile expenditure. Five permanent income estimators are used, including expected income reported by the households. Predictions using this particular measure indicate instances of significant improvement, suggesting that direct measurement of anticipated income may help predict automobile expenditure.
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Papers by j. william Levedahl