UC San Diego

This dissertation consists of three chapters examining the design and impacts of safety net programs in the United States. Chapter 1 examines how access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has affected the health and economic outcomes of low-income families in the modern era. Exploiting state-level expansions under Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE)—one of the largest SNAP reforms since the 2000s—I use a difference-in-differences design with multiple large-scale data sources on program usage and population health. The expansion increased SNAP participation and generated spillovers to Medicaid and WIC enrollment. Increased resources improved food security and health care utilization. Although short-term health gains are modest, they are more pronounced among non-White populations, including reductions in low birth weight and obesity. Notably, I find no significant effects on employment status and only a slight decline in hours worked. These findings highlight the role of benefit transfers in supporting long-term health investments and reducing racial disparities, with little evidence of work disincentives. Chapter 2 addresses a fundamental question in public economics: whether government services should be delivered directly or contracted out. We study the transition of Mississippi’s Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program from state-run warehouses to retail-based food distribution. Using a difference-in-differences design, we show that retail distribution reduced participation by 12–14%, with larger declines among children and disadvantaged groups, while lowering per-participant costs by 32% through warehouse elimination. Higher retail prices were offset by lower redemption rates. The evidence suggests that increased shopping burden, rather than other take-up frictions, drove the decline in participation. Chapter 3 studies how immigration enforcement shapes participation in safety net programs within mixed-status households. I examine the responses of Hispanic citizens living with individuals facing deportation risk following the enactment of E-Verify mandates, an employment-based immigration enforcement policy targeting undocumented immigrants. Using a difference-in-differences framework, I find that E-Verify mandates reduced household income. Participation responses differ across programs. While SSI participation temporarily increased and SNAP participation remained stable, Medicaid participation declined sharply. The decline in Medicaid participation is more pronounced among groups whose household members face higher deportation risk, consistent with chilling effects limiting program take-up.