University of Minnesota, Duluth
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Examining Cultural and Economic Barriers’ Impact on Frequenting Farmers’ Markets
No full textFarmers’ markets offer access to fresh food, support for local producers, and opportunities to build community connections. Yet, participation remains disproportionately low among low-income and minority populations. While financial incentive programs address economic barriers, cultural factors such as mistrust, feelings of not being welcomed and weak community ties may equally constrain engagement. This study develops a framework that integrates both financial and cultural barriers to better understand farmers' market participation across racial and income groups. Using 2025 survey data from three Tennessee cities, we construct composite indices of barriers and analyze their effects on both actual attendance and stated likelihood of attending. Planned integration of spatial and market-level data will allow us to assess how individual experiences intersect with broader structural and relational conditions. Findings aim to inform the design of more inclusive, culturally responsive interventions to support equitable farmers’ market participation
Balancing Health and Market Effectiveness in Food Corrective Taxation: Evidence from Variations in Sugar Tax Salience
No full textOver the past several decades, corrective taxes on products such as tobacco and alcohol have been widely employed as public health tools. With the rising prevalence of non-communicable chronic diseases associated with excessive sugar consumption, an increasing number of countries have implemented corrective taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). However, existing evidence on the effectiveness of such taxes remains inconclusive. Using a discrete choice experiment, this study evaluates the health and market effectiveness of SSB taxation under varying levels of tax salience, and examines the trade-off between these two policy objectives. Results indicate that when health effectiveness is prioritized, presenting both tax information and the tax amount yields the strongest behavioral response. In contrast, when market effectiveness is the primary concern, providing tax information alone proves most effective. When both objectives are considered simultaneously, displaying tax information along with the tax rate offers the most balanced outcome. These findings provide policy-relevant insights into how adjustments in tax salience can help reconcile health and market goals in the design of SSB taxes
Market Consolidation and Disparities in Infant Formula Sales: Economic Insights from COVID-19 and the 2022 Formula Shortages
No full textBreastfeeding offers significant health benefits, yet only 25% of U.S. infants meet exclusive six month recommendations. A stable formula supply is essential for formula-fed infants, but market consolidation makes it vulnerable to disruptions. Using NielsenIQ Retail Scanner Data, this study evaluates the impacts of COVID-19 and the 2022 formula shortage on infant formula purchases. The pandemic increased formula sales by 14.8%, with greater impacts in low-income and rural areas, while the 2022 shortage led to a 24.3% decline, disproportionately affecting low-income and highly consolidated markets. Findings highlight the need for regulatory reforms to strengthen formula supply chain resilience and reduce disparities
From Food Crisis to Resource Allocation: Tracking Humanitarian Aid in Afghanistan
No full textThis study sheds light on a critical challenge for global humanitarian efforts: delivering timely, targeted aid to regions facing acute food insecurity. As hunger intensifies worldwide, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system plays a pivotal role, alerting the world to regions in crisis and directing billions in relief aid to those in dire need. Yet, a fundamental question remains—does the IPC mobilize aid with the speed and precision necessary to meet escalating needs? Focusing on Afghanistan, a priority IPC country, this study introduces a novel dataset that aligns humanitarian funding flows with IPC regional classifications. Utilizing a staggered Difference-in-Differences approach, I investigate how IPC phase escalations impact immediate aid responses. The findings reveal a significant but insufficient increase in funding following transitions to IPC Phase 4, underscoring the gap between current aid allocations and the critical needs of populations facing severe food insecurity. This research offers a first-of-its kind subnational analysis of IPC-driven aid allocation, providing policymakers with essential insights to strengthen future humanitarian response efforts
Introducing a Public-Use County Food Price Database, With an Application to the Health Care Cost of Sugary Drink Consumption
No full textHeterogeneity in the Off-Farm Labor Market: A Panel Data Evidence from Bangladesh
No full textThis study investigates the relationship between earned nonfarm income and farm performance in Bangladesh. Specifically, the study assesses the impact of components of nonfarm income (wage, self-employment, and salary incomes) on input utilization and technical efficiency. The study uses panel data from Bangladesh's Integrated Household Survey (BIHS) and Tobit procedure to account for potential censoring in our dependent variables. Findings reveal that although overall earned nonfarm income positively affects total crop production expenditures and investments in seeds and irrigation, it shows a negative impact on expenses for fertilizer, labor, and equipment. The disaggregated sources of earned nonfarm income show that nonfarm income sources have heterogeneous effects—salary and wage income generally decrease agricultural investments and technical efficiency. Still, self-employment income shows a positive impact on expenditures for farming inputs and technical efficiency. Finally, climatic shocks significantly influence input use patterns, with affected farmers increasing expenditures on fertilizer, irrigation, and labor. These results contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between sources of earned nonfarm income and farm performance and technical efficiency in Bangladesh
Are Systematic Inequalities in Piped Water Infrastructure Paving the Way for the “Water Mafia”?
Get PDFSNAP Authorization and Local Retailer Participation
No full textWe study how a major retailer’s adoption of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) influences the authorization decisions of other retailers in local markets. Exploiting Dollar General’s chain-wide SNAP adoption in 2004 and using a di↵erence-in-di↵erences design, we find that the number of other SNAP-authorized grocery stores increases by 15 percent, with event study estimates showing that the effects persist and grow over time. We find evidence for three mechanisms. First, individual SNAP enrollment increases following Dollar General’s adoption, expanding the customer base and making SNAP authorization more attractive to other retailers. Second, spillovers are larger in concentrated markets, consistent with strategic interdependence where firms face stronger incentives to respond to rivals’ SNAP adoption. Third, effects are stronger in counties with low initial SNAP coverage, where Dollar General’s adoption may reduce uncertainty about program viability or signal previously unmet demand to other retailers. These findings suggest that complementarities in retailers’ participation decisions can extend program access beyond directly treated firms and indicate that private market dynamics play an important role in the delivery of public assistance programs