Research
Publications
Food Insecurity Erodes Trust, with Woubet Kassa and Dennis Wesselbaum (2024), Global Food Security, Forthcoming.
Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between food insecurity and trust. Trust improves public institutions, social capital, public health interventions, and economic development. Vertical trust is represented as an index of trust in national institutions, while horizontal trust is represented as a measure of trust in friends and family. We find that food insecurity is associated with a decrease in both measures of trust. We further document heterogeneous effects of food insecurity across economic development rankings. Our results suggest a need for governments to increase food security to bolster public trust, strengthen the social contract, and enhance the effectiveness of future development efforts. Given the greater difficulty in restoring trust once it has been damaged, ensuring food security is critical for maintaining trust in institutions.
Ch. 11. Agriculture, food systems, and rural communities: Fifth National Climate Assessment, with Bolster, C.H., Mitchell, R., Kitts, A., Campbell, A., Cosh, M., Farrigan, T.L., Franzluebbers, A.J., Hoover, D.L., Jin, V.L., Peck, D.E., Schmer, M.R. (2023), U.S. Global Change Research Program, Washington, DC, USA.
Abstract: Climate change—especially shifts in precipitation, air temperature, and soil moisture—is disrupting agricultural production and food systems, and is projected to reduce the availability and affordability of nutritious food. Impacts are distributed unevenly, with farmworkers, subsistence-based communities, and rural populations facing increasing risks. Opportunities that leverage agroecological approaches can limit emissions from agriculture and improve the resilience of rural communities.
Who Behaves Charitably? Evidence from a Global Study, with Stephan Knowles, Ronald Peeters, and Dennis Wesselbaum (2023), Applied Economics, Forthcoming.
Abstract: This paper adds to the literature on charitable behaviour by analysing the correlates of four types of such behaviour (donating money, volunteering time, helping a stranger, and sending money) in a global sample of 134 countries and 388,602 individuals. We compare the differences in the factors associated with multiple measures of charitable behaviour, using a wide range of individual- and country-level variables. We find important differences across global regions and levels of economic development in these factors. Our findings are relevant for NGOs and charities, in particular in designing funding campaigns.
Global Evidence of Inequality in Well-Being among Older Adults, with Dennis Wesselbaum (2023), Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Forthcoming.
Abstract: By 2030, the UN expects 1.4 billion seniors and 2.1 billion by 2050. By 2050, 80 percent of older persons will live in developing nations. This demographic shift will present new challenges and opportunities in a number of areas, including health, migration, employment, and social safety nets. This study’s aims were to: (1) present novel evidence on the trends and determinants of well-being and well-being inequality among older people around the world; and (2) highlight variation across World Bank development groups. The study utilizes individual-level survey data from nine waves of the Gallup World Poll (2009-2017), which is representative of about 99.5% of the global population. First, we report country-level panel evidence on well-being and well-being inequality for adults over 60 years of age. Second, we estimate regressions to identify the individual-level determinants of well-being and well-being inequality. Our results indicate that average levels of happiness vary little over time. This holds for all World Bank development groups. In contrast, we show that inequality in well-being increases for all categories except in high-income countries. Examining the factors that influence well-being and well-being inequality reveals the particular importance of income, social ties, and health. We also reveal gender differences in global well-being; women tend to be happier than men. Lastly, whereas variations in inequity-causing factors are minimal when comparing older to younger individuals, they vary substantially when comparing across development groups. Our findings suggest that rather than focusing on the average level of well-being among older people, governments should consider the full distribution of well-being. This requires a special emphasis on health, social networks, and education, as well as the assessment of distributional impacts in policy proposals.
Wellbeing Inequality among Adolescents and Young Adults, with Dennis Wesselbaum (2023), Journal of Adolescent Health, Forthcoming.
Abstract: This study aims to provide evidence on the inequality in well-being among young adults. We use individual-level survey data from the Gallup World Poll from 164 countries between 2009-2017 (N=446,935). Regression analyses are used to determine associations. We document substantial inequality in well-being across three developmental stages (adolescence, early adulthood, young adulthood). Health, education, income, and social relations are strongly associated with mean well-being and well-being inequality. We show that, for mean well-being, the relative importance of these factors varies over life-cycle stages. For inequality, most factors are consistent across developmental groups, however we identify certain characteristics that are only relevant at certain developmental stages. Given the policy importance of well-being at all stages of life and the significance of adolescence and early adulthood in developing positive health-related behaviours, interventions targeting the highlighted characteristics are likely to be effective but require a multisectoral approach.
The Satellite Account Approach for Measuring the U.S. Marine Economy, with Jennifer Zhuang, et al. (2023), Marine Resource Economics, Forthcoming.
Abstract: The first official Marine Economy Satellite Account (MESA) of the United States was developed to provide more credibility and reliability for robust measurement on the Nation’s dependency on ocean and coastal resources. This methodology improves upon previous methods and yields results that are 1) consistent with the national accounts statistics, such as gross domestic product (GDP), 2) captures additional categories of marine-related activities, and 3) brings the measurement of the U.S. marine economy into alignment with the most advanced international practices. These advances support recent sustainable growth initiatives of the U.S. blue economy, allow policy makers to better evaluate industries perhaps most vulnerable and at risk from coastal hazards, and enable government and private businesses to promote and invest in this crucial driver of the U.S. national economy.
Food Insecurity Erodes Trust, with Woubet Kassa and Dennis Wesselbaum (2023). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, (10314).
Abstract: This study examines the relationship between food insecurity and trust using the 2014–17 waves of the Gallup World Poll and the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Insecurity Experience Scale. Trust improves public institutions, social capital, public health interventions, and economic development. Vertical trust is represented as an index of trust in national institutions, while horizontal trust is represented as a measure of trust in friends and family. The findings show that food insecurity is associated with a decrease in both measures of trust. The study further document heterogeneous effects of food insecurity across economic development rankings. The results suggest a need for governments to increase food security to bolster public trust, strengthen the social contract, and enhance the effectiveness of development efforts.
Well-being and Income across Space and Time: Evidence from One Million Households, with Dennis Wesselbaum (2023), Journal of Happiness Studies, Forthcoming.
Abstract: This paper provides an overview of the global trends and driving forces of well-being and income. We extend the literature by examining inequality in both variables, since average well-being and income measures can obscure important disparities in people’s lives. We use data from the Gallup World Poll for nine years (2009-2017) and 135 countries (N=1,437,897). Our analysis proceeds in two steps. First, we present country-level panel evidence on the inequality in well-being and income. Second, we estimate microeconometric regressions to reveal the individual-level drivers of well-being and income inequality. We find that the mean of well-being and income by World Bank economic development ranking varies little over time, while inequality in these two variables change significantly. We find no evidence of the Easterlin paradox after controlling for income inequality and show that income growth reduces well-being inequality. Finally, we find similar drivers of mean and inequality in both income and well-being.
A Food Insecurity Kuznets Curve? with Dennis Wesselbaum, Christopher Barrett, and Anaka Aiyar (2023), World Development, 165, 106189 .
Abstract: Advances in food security proceed unevenly within and across nations. A striking pattern emerges from analysis of >560,000 individual responses to the first globally comparable, nationally representative, repeated food insecurity survey, which is statistically representative of >96% of the world’s population. We find the relationship between the prevalence of food insecurity in a country and intranational, interpersonal inequality in food insecurity follows a strong inverse-U shape, i.e., a Kuznets Curve. The relationship is stable over time and across relevant inequality measures and estimation methods. This finding can help guide the implementation of safety nets and social protection programs to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 2 and to satisfy the human right enshrined in Article 25 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Food Insecurity Predicts Well-being Inequality, with Dennis Wesselbaum (2023), Preventive Medicine, 167, 107407.
Abstract: The concept of well-being offers researchers an alternative to understanding inequality and poverty primarily through income and consumption, and recent research has emphasized the importance of examining well-being inequality. Food insecurity has been identified as an important driver of average levels of well-being; in this paper, we show it also predicts changes in the distribution of well-being. We use individual-level data from the Gallup World Poll for 135 countries between 2014 and 2017 (N=446,741) and apply a flexible moments-based approach. We use the estimated conditional variance as a measure of inter-personal inequality in subjective well-being at the individual-level. Findings indicate that higher food insecurity is associated with higher inequality in well-being in middle- and high-income countries, but not in low-income countries. We also find that being severely food insecure correlates with peoples’ well-being inequality in every income group. Understanding disparities in peoples’ lives offers important, policy-relevant information that cannot be inferred from mean values alone and offers important insights to achieve SDG Goals 2 and 3 for all people.
A Weather-Ready Nation for All? The Demographics of Severe Weather Understanding, Reception, and Response, with John Ten Hoeve, Cristopher Lauer, and Vankita Brown (2023), Weather, Climate, and Society, forthcoming.
Abstract: NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) provides forecasts, warnings, and decision support to the public for the protection of life and property. The NWS Weather Ready Nation model describes the process of applying weather information to achieve societal value. However, it is not clear how different racial and socioeconomic groups across the United States receive, understand, and act upon the weather information supplied under this model. There may be barriers that keep important, life-saving information from the populations at the highest risk of severe weather impacts. This paper estimates the extent of racial and socioeconomic disparities in severe weather risk information reception, comprehension, response, and trust, as well as severe weather preparedness and risk perceptions in the United States. We use data from the University of Oklahoma’s Severe Weather and Society Survey which is annually completed by a sample of 3,000 U.S. adults (age 18+) that is designed to match the characteristics of the U.S. population. We pool data over four years (2017-2020) to provide reliable severe weather risk prevalence statistics for adults by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic characteristics. As a robustness check, we supplement this information with data from the FEMA Annual Household Survey. We find that racial and socioeconomic groups receive, understand, trust, and act upon severe weather information differently. These findings suggest NWS and their partners adjust their communication strategies to ensure all populations receive and understand actionable severe weather information.
Food Insecurity Erodes Trust, with Woubet Kassa and Dennis Wesselbaum (2023), World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, (10314).
Abstract: T his study examines the relationship between food insecurity and trust using the 2014–17 waves of the Gallup World Poll and the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Insecurity Experience Scale. Trust improves public institutions, social capital, public health interventions, and economic development. Vertical trust is represented as an index of trust in national institutions, while horizontal trust is represented as a measure of trust in friends and family. T he findings show that food insecurity is associated with a decrease in both measures of trust. The study further document heterogeneous effects of food insecurity across economic development rankings. The results suggest a need for governments to increase food security to bolster public trust, strengthen the social contract, and enhance the effectiveness of development efforts.
Financial Inclusion and International Migration in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, with Dennis Wesselbaum (2022), Empirical Economics, 1-30.
Abstract: Research has insufficiently addressed the role of financial inclusion in migration decisions. Financial inclusion empowers people and provides the means to improve their own lives. We explore this relationship using data from the 2014 and 2017 waves of the Gallup World Poll Survey, which includes the first global measure of individual-level financial inclusion. Using a series of binary-choice models with sample selection we find that financial inclusion meaningfully affects both intentions to migrate and preparations to do so. The likelihood of migration intentions and preparations increase with having an account, access to a debit card and the ability to make internet payments and to send and receive remittances. Saving for educational purposes, the ability to take out a loan, and savings via a savings club are also critical factors in converting migration intentions to preparations. Results show heterogeneous effects across rural and urban locations. Our findings imply that financial inclusion increases respondents’ ability to finance and save for migration costs and may increase their ability to utilize social networks for migration purposes. This has potentially important policy implications for policymakers seeking to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically targets 1.4, 8.10, and 10.7.
The Effect of Trust on Economic Performance and Financial Access, with David Leblang and Dennis Wesselbaum (2022), Economics Letters, 110884.
Abstract: This paper uses individual-level data from the Gallup World Poll to examine the effect of institutional trust on individual-level outcomes. We make three contributions to the literature. First, the data set allows us to examine whether the relationship varies by the stage of economic development. Second, unlike most studies, we examine the relationship between trust and performance allowing for a non-linear relationship and identify the optimal level of trust. Third, in addition to individual-level income, we examine the effect of individual-level trust on individual-level access to financial services, an important factor in economic development and financial well-being.
New Perspectives on Climate Equity and Environmental Justice, with Tadesse Wodajo (2022), Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 103 (6), E1522-E1530.
Abstract: The Performance, Risk, and Social Science Office (PRSSO) at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) organized a four-part seminar series to explore the science-based concepts of climate equity and environmental justice and examined how NOAA and the federal government may better serve vulnerable and underrepresented communities. PRSSO invited nine leading scholars and researchers from academia and across the federal government to discuss their work in this field. This paper synthesizes the presentations and discussions that took place during the seminar series to highlight best practices and important case studies. The summary is organized around three themes. The first describes an environmental and climate justice conceptual framework and the challenges associated with taking just action. The second theme relates to social vulnerability and disaster risk, and the factors leading to and resulting from social inequalities. The last theme examines the nexus between public finance and equity in resilience and highlights the need for equitable allocation of public resources for disaster mitigation and resilience planning.
Food Insecurity and International Migration Flows, with Dennis Wesselbaum (2022), International Migration Review, 56 (2), 615-635.
Abstract: The driving forces of human migration are increasingly complex. Recently, climatic factors have received more attention. While there exists evidence that climatic factors affect the migration decision, questions about the transmission channels remain unanswered. In this paper, we investigate how climate change, via food insecurity, affects the migration decision. We use migration flows from 198 origin to 16 OECD destination countries over 36 years (1980-2015) and combine it with a new and unique data set on food insecurity provided by the FAO. Here we show that food insecurity significantly affects the migration decision and acts as a push factor. Interestingly, we find that the within-country heterogeneity in food insecurity matters, where higher heterogeneity reduces flows. This implies that people do not only react to the mean food insecurity, but also to their relative position in the distribution of food insecurity. Finally, we document non-linearities in the food insecurity-migration relationship.
Leveraging and Building the Science of Risk Communication across U.S. Federal Agencies, with William Klein, et al. (2021), Nature Human Behavior, 5(4), 411-413.
Abstract: Many US federal agencies apply principles from risk communication science across a wide variety of hazards. In so doing, they identify key research and practice gaps that, if addressed, could help better serve the nation’s communities and greatly enhance practice, research, and policy development.
Climate Change and International Migration: The Role of Foreign Aid, with Dennis Wesselbaum and Shannon N. Minehan (2021). Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, In Press.
Abstract: Global migration flows have increased over the last couple decades. Climate change is a key driver of these flows and will become more important in the future. Foreign aid programs, often intended to manage or even reduce these flows, are typically not large enough and lead to more rather than less migration.
Food Insecurity Among Working-Age Veterans, with Matthew P. Rabbitt (2021), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Economic Research Report, 829.
Abstract: We document the extent and severity of food insecurity among working-age veterans. Food insecurity occurs when individuals have limited or uncertain access to enough food because of a lack of economic resources. In 2015-2019, 11.1 percent of veterans lived in food-insecure households and 5.3 percent lived in households with very low food security, the most severe range of food insecurity where households report reductions in food intake. Further, we demonstrate how food insecurity varies among veteran subpopulations defined by their age, area of residence, disability status, educational attainment, gender, geographic region, household composition, income, labor force participation status, race and ethnicity, and military service history. We then compare food insecurity among veterans and nonveterans to examine the association between military service and food insecurity. After adjusting for observable differences in characteristics between veterans and nonveterans, we find that being a veteran is associated with a 6.7 percent increase in the likelihood of living in a food-insecure household.
The Effects of Domestic and International Remittances on Food Security in Low- and Middle-income Countries, with Maria S. Floro (2020). The Journal of Development Studies, 1-23.
Abstract: Despite food insecurity being a key policy priority for aid organizations and governments around the world, the effects of remittances on food insecurity in low- and middle-income countries is largely unknown. The issue is made urgent with the recent increases in migration rates and surrounding policy debates regarding how source communities are affected. Using data from the 2014-15 waves of the Gallup World Poll, and the first global experiential measure of food insecurity, we examine the impacts of receiving domestic, international, and both (domestic and international) remittances on individual-level food insecurity in 92 low- and middle-income countries. We estimate a series of endogenous multinomial treatment effects models, using both two-stage residual inclusion and maximum simulated likelihood methods. Results show domestic and international remittances have differential impacts on the probability of being food insecure. Controlling for endogeneity, we find that domestic, international, and combinations of both remittances decrease food insecurity. However, international remittances have a much greater impact than domestic remittances. Results also show heterogeneous effects of remittances across economic development rankings, where remittances provide greater protection against experiencing food insecurity in lower-income countries than in middle-income countries. These findings highlight the importance of migration and remittance flows as mechanisms for reducing food insecurity. In the absence of social protection, households in low- and middle-income countries will resort to migration and use remittances as a major coping strategy to address food insecurity. This has potentially important policy implications for those seeking to reduce global hunger to achieve the SDG targets. Coordination between the migration and food security policy agendas is critical.
COVID-19, Food Insecurity, and Migration, with Dennis Wesselbaum (2020). The Journal of Nutrition, 150(11), 2855-2858.
Media coverage: American Society for Nutrition
Abstract: In this policy piece, we investigate the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)–food-insecurity migration channel and develop a policy agenda. The interaction between COVID-19 and the drop in economic activity will lead to increased food insecurity within and across countries. Higher food insecurity may act as a multiplier for the epidemic due to its negative health effects and increased migration. Research has shown that food insecurity affects within-country and cross-border migration. Besides the mean prevalence rate, the distribution of food insecurity affects the migration decision. The impacts of COVID-19 are particularly strong for people in the lower tail of the food-insecurity distribution. In the current context, the effect of food insecurity therefore could be increased migration, including both rural–urban migration and international migration. Importantly, the crisis might lead to a structural break in migration patterns. People might avoid heavily affected COVID-19 destination countries (e.g., United States, Italy, or Spain) and move to other countries. Due to the persistent nature of migration flows, this could have long-lasting effects.
Food Insecurity, Gender, and International Migration in Low- and Middle-income Countries, with Maria S. Floro (2020), Food Policy, 91, 101837.
Abstract: The determinants of migration have been widely studied but research has rarely addressed the roles of food insecurity and gender in the migration decision process. To addresses these gaps, we develop a two-stage theoretical framework for understanding the relationship between food insecurity, international migration intentions, and subsequent migration decisions from a gendered perspective. We then empirically examine these relationships for individuals across 94 low- and middle-income countries using a series of binary-choice models with sample selection and data from the 2014-2015 waves of the Gallup World Poll Survey, which includes the first global measure of individual-level food insecurity. Results, which are robust, indicate that food insecurity is an important determinant of both migration intentions and decisions, where migration intentions increase monotonically with the severity of food insecurity, and migration decisions decrease. These relationships also differ significantly by gender and level of gross national income per capita. Evidence suggests a need for increased coordination between the international food security and international migration policy agendas.
Food Insecurity, Acculturation, and Diagnosis of Coronary Heart Disease and Related Health Outcomes Among Immigrant Adults in the United States, with Alisha Coleman-Jensen (2020), Public Health Nutrition, 23(3), 416-431.
Abstract: We aim to deepen understanding of the relationship between food insecurity, acculturation, and cardiometabolic health among immigrant adults and whether food insecurity accelerates the health-related effects of living in the United States. Using cross-sectional, nationally representative data from the National Health Interview Survey 2011 to 2015, we address two research questions: First, what are the effects of household food insecurity on the cardiometabolic health of working-age immigrant adults—namely, self-rated poor health, coronary heart disease, heart conditions, and cardiometabolic risk factors: diabetes, obesity, and hypertension? Second, what are the effects of food insecurity with respect to these conditions over years of living in the United States? We estimate a series of logistic regressions with and without treatment-interactions for six cardiometabolic health outcomes. Food insecurity is strongly associated with poor cardiometabolic health among working-age immigrant adults, and poor cardiometabolic health increases with the severity of food insecurity. These relationships show significant gender heterogeneity, in that food insecurity tends to impact the cardiometabolic health of female immigrants more than males. Food insecurity also significantly accelerates the effects of acculturation on several poor cardiometabolic health outcomes for working-age immigrant adults—namely, heart conditions, diabetes, and obesity. Understanding the relationships between food insecurity, acculturation, and cardiometabolic health is vital for both clinical management and in developing appropriate public health interventions for an increasingly multicultural U.S. population.
International Food Security Assessment, 2019-2029, with Karen Thome, Kamron Daugherty, Nicholas Rada, Cheryl Christensen, and Birgit Meade (2019), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Economic Research Report, GFA-30.
Abstract: USDA-ERS presents results from its International Food Security Assessment model, a demand-driven framework that includes information on domestic prices and consumer responsiveness to changes in prices and incomes. Given projections for lower food prices and rising incomes, food security for the 76 low- and middle-income countries included is expected to improve through 2029. The share of population that is food insecure is projected to fall from 19.3 percent in 2019 to 9.2 percent in 2029. The number of food-insecure people is projected to fall markedly from 782 million to 399 or a decline of 45 percent, faster than the decline in the food gap, the amount of food necessary to allow all food-insecure people to reach the nutritional target of 2,100 calories per capita per day, indicating somewhat slower change in the intensity of food insecurity, at the aggregate level.
Who Are the World’s Food Insecure? Identifying the Risk Factors of Food Insecurity Around the World, with Birgit Meade (2019), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Amber Waves (06).
Food insecurity was more strongly associated with poor subjective well-being in more-developed countries than in less-developed countries, with Edward A. Frongillo, Hoa T. Nguyen, and Alisha Coleman-Jensen (2019), The Journal of Nutrition, 149(2), 330–335.
Abstract: Food insecurity is strongly associated with subjective well-being. People compare their well-being to a subjective reference that adjusts over time, which is called hedonic adaptation. We aimed to deepen understanding of the relationship between food insecurity and subjective well-being among countries from the perspective of possible hedonic adaptation between food insecurity and subjective well-being. Global data from the Gallup World Poll 2014 were collected from 152,206 individuals in 147 countries. Telephone and face-to-face surveys were conducted in 37 and 111 countries, respectively, collecting data on law and order; food and shelter; institutions and infrastructure; job climate; and financial, social, physical, and evaluative well-being, including the Food Insecurity Experience Scale. Data were aggregated to country level and merged with economic and social measures from World Bank and United Nations sources: infant mortality, gross domestic product, economic inequality, agricultural value added, fertility, maternal mortality, female schooling, and female participation in labor force. Multi-level linear regression was used to examine associations between well-being and food insecurity, and for analysis. Experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity was prevalent among countries, with mean probability of 0.273 ± 0.220. Countries that were less-developed economically and socially had higher probability of experiencing food insecurity, lower subjective well-being as measured by the daily experience index, and less negative slopes for the relationship between daily experience index and food insecurity. Food insecurity was the strongest predictor of daily experience from among the measures of economic and social development. The prevalence of food insecurity was strongly and negatively associated with subjective well-being across 147 countries. The association between food insecurity and poor subjective well-being within countries was stronger for more-developed countries, providing evidence of hedonic adaptation between food insecurity and subjective well-being. Food insecurity explained substantial variation in subjective well-being both among and within countries.
Assessing Food Insecurity in Latin America and the Caribbean using FAO’s Food Insecurity Experience Scale, with Woubet Kassa and Paul Winters (2017), Food Policy, 71, 48–61.
Abstract: The complexity of the operational concept and definition of food insecurity has complicated the study of the ‘food insecure’ and efforts to determine clear policy directions. Previous findings on the prevalence and severity of food insecurity are inconsistent and often depend on the measure used. To overcome limitations in food security measurement, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations developed the Food Insecurity Experience Scale, which is the first survey protocol to measure people’s direct experience of food insecurity on a global scale. Using this new measure, our study contributes to the understanding of the food insecure by examining the determinants of food insecurity within and across countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Using a series of multilevel linear models, we find the three determinants associated with the largest increase in the likelihood of experiencing food insecurity in LAC are: low levels of education, limited social capital, and living in a country with low GDP per capita. Results suggest the need to promote education of the most vulnerable, encourage social interactions that help build individuals’ social capital, and adopt gender-sensitive programs. The results also suggest the need for a shift in policy from short-term strategies to long-term efforts that sustain household productive capacity and employment to promote sustained economic growth.
Daily Access to Local Foods for School Meals: Key Drivers, with Katherine Ralston, Elizabeth Beaulieu, Jeffrey Hyman, and Matthew Benson (2017), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service EIB-168.
Abstract: Farm-to-school programs began in the 1990s and have been encouraged by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through grant funding, technical assistance, and changes to school meal procurement regulations. In 2012, USDA’s Farm to School Program was formally established to improve access to local foods in eligible schools. Today, more than 4 in 10 school districts report serving local foods or implementing other farm-to-school activities. To examine progress toward USDA’s goal of daily availability of locally produced foods for all students and to identify potential targets for technical assistance, this report uses data from the 2013 Farm to School Census to measure the prevalence of school districts that serve local food daily and the characteristics of those districts.
Food Insecurity Is Associated with Subjective Well-Being among Individuals from 138 Countries in the 2014 Gallup World Poll, with Edward A. Frongillo, Hoa T. Nguyen, and Alisha Coleman-Jensen (2017), The Journal of Nutrition, 147(4), 680-687.
Abstract: Food insecurity is an aspect of living conditions that is particularly important for quality of life, health, and subjective well-being. The implementation of the 8-item Food Insecurity Experience Scale in 147 countries in the 2014 Gallup World Poll provided an unprecedented opportunity to understand the association of food insecurity with subjective well-being. We examined how food insecurity relates with measures of living conditions and how food insecurity and other living conditions relate with physical health and, in turn, subjective well-being. Data were collected from individuals aged ≥15 y by telephone in 38 countries and via face-to-face interviews in 111 others. The available sample was 132,618 (138 countries) and 122,137 (137 countries) for the daily experience and life evaluation indexes of subjective well-being, respectively. Daily experience was a continuous measure and life evaluation was categorized into thriving, struggling, and suffering. We estimated 6 linear or logistic regression models for each index controlling for country as a fixed effect. Food insecurity was associated with the other 3 measures of living conditions: household income, shelter and housing, and employment. Food insecurity explained poor physical health and lower subjective well-being beyond other measures of living conditions. Instrumental and emotional support was associated with higher subjective well-being. The associations of food insecurity with subjective well-being were larger than with other explanatory variables. Food insecurity was associated with subjective well-being within each of the 4 World Bank income classes of countries, with a larger magnitude of differences for the higher-income classes. Food insecurity was strongly and negatively associated with subjective well-being in a large global sample of individuals aged ≥15 y. These results demonstrate the consistency of goal 2 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which has targeted 2030 to ensure food security for all people, year-round, with other goals to reduce food insecurity.
Who are the World’s Food Insecure? New Evidence from the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Insecurity Experience Scale, with Matthew P. Rabbitt and Alisha Coleman- Jensen (2017), World Development, 93, 402-412.
Media coverage: Gallup, Inc.
Abstract: Until recently there was lacking a common food security measure and the necessary data to study the individual-level determinants of food insecurity around the world. In 2014, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Voices of the Hungry project developed an experiential measure of food insecurity, the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), translated it into 200 languages, and contracted Gallup, Inc. for collection of data through the Gallup World Poll. This is the first paper that identifies and examines the common determinants of food insecurity in 134 countries using this cross-country comparable experiential measure of food insecurity. We also investigate whether and to what extent the common determinants of food insecurity identified in a global model differ across rankings of economic development. Using a series of multilevel linear probability models, we find that the five characteristics associated with the largest increase in the likelihood of experiencing food insecurity around the world are: having low levels of education, weak social networks, less social capital, low household income, and being unemployed. We also find significant heterogeneity in the determinants of food insecurity over development rankings. This study is an important first step in utilizing the new FIES to document risk factors of food insecurity around the globe.
Food Security Among Hispanic Adults in the United States, 2011-2014, with Matthew P. Rabbitt and Alisha Coleman-Jensen (2016), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service EIB-153.
Abstract: This report estimates the extent and severity of food insecurity across diverse groups of Hispanic households using 2011-2014 data from the Current Population Survey’s Food Security Supplement. Food-insecure households have difficulty at some time during the year in providing enough food for all their members due to a lack of resources. In 2014, 14.0 percent of all U.S. households were food insecure, versus 22.4 percent of Hispanic households. Data also demonstrate how food insecurity varies among Hispanic subpopulations by origin, immigration status, household composition, State of residence, and metropolitan status. Food insecurity was more prevalent among Hispanics identifying as Mexican (20.8 percent), Central/South American (20.7 percent), and Puerto Rican (25.3 percent) than among those identifying as Cuban (12.1 percent) over 2011-14. Food insecurity was more prevalent among Hispanic adults who were noncitizens (24.4 percent) than among those who were U.S. citizens (18.9 percent), and more prevalent among Hispanic citizens who were born in the United States (19.1 percent) than among immigrants who became naturalized citizens (16.6 percent). Trends in food insecurity from 2000 to 2014 among Hispanic households appear to be closely related to trends in the U.S. labor market.
Food Insecurity Among Children Declined to Pre-Recession Levels in 2015, with Alisha Coleman-Jensen (2016), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research, Amber Waves, (10).
Food Insecurity and Hispanic Diversity, with Matthew P. Rabbitt and Alisha Coleman-Jensen (2016), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research, Amber Waves, (6).
Working Papers
Food Insecurity Is Negatively Associated with Vertical and Horizontal Dimensions of Trust, Under review.
Abstract: Trust is crucial for well-functioning public institutions, enhances social capital, increases the success of public health interventions, and is vital for economic development. The determinants of trust have been widely studied but research has not addressed the role of food insecurity. By reducing trust, food insecurity has the potential to weaken the links between institutions and the public and impede social and economic progress. As the COVID-19 pandemic threatens the food security of millions globally, further understanding of this relationship is critical. I aim to deepen understanding of the relation between food insecurity and trust. I examine the relationship between food insecurity and vertical and horizontal dimensions of trust for 387,385 individuals in 134 countries using data from the 2014-2017 waves of the Gallup World Poll Survey, which includes the first global measure of individual-level food insecurity. Vertical trust is represented as an index of trust in national institutions. Horizontal trust is represented as a measure of trust in friends and family. I estimate linear regression models for each trust measure controlling for country fixed effects. To control for possible endogeneity of food insecurity I use entropy matching methods. Results, which are robust, indicate that food insecurity is associated with a decrease in both trust in national institutions and trust in friends and family. The association with trust in friends and family is larger than any other explanatory variable. I also find heterogeneous effects of food insecurity across economic development rankings (GNI per capita). Food insecurity is strongly and negatively associated with vertical and horizontal dimensions of trust in a large global sample of adults. Evidence suggests a need for governments to increase food security to bolster public trust and enhance the effectiveness of future development goals and COVID-related health interventions.
A Food Insecurity Kuznets Curve?, with Dennis Wesselbaum, Christopher B. Barrett, and Anaka Aiyar, Revise and resubmit.
Abstract: Advances in food security proceed unevenly within and across nations. Several indicators point to worsening conditions globally. A striking pattern emerges from analysis of >560,000 individual responses to the first globally comparable, nationally representative, repeated food insecurity survey, which is statistically representative of >96% of the world’s population. The relationship between the prevalence of food insecurity in a country and interpersonal inequality in food insecurity follows a strong inverse-U shape, a Kuznets curve. Food insecurity is a burden shared unequally within countries, with the highest levels of inequality in nations with intermediate prevalence of food insecurity. This relationship is stable over time and inequality measures. This underscores the importance of safety nets and social protection programs to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 2.
Financial Inclusion and International Migration in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, with Dennis Wesselbaum, Under review.
Abstract: Research has insufficiently addressed the role of financial inclusion in migration decisions. Financial inclusion empowers people and provides the means to improve their own lives. We explore this relationship using data from the 2014 and 2017 waves of the Gallup World Poll Survey, which includes the first global measure of individual-level financial inclusion. Using a series of binary-choice models with sample selection we find that financial inclusion meaningfully affects both intentions to migrate and preparations to do so. The likelihood of migration intentions and preparations increase with having an account, access to a debit card and the ability to make internet payments and to send and receive remittances. Saving for educational purposes, the ability to take out a loan, and savings via a savings club are also critical factors in converting migration intentions to preparations. Results show heterogeneous effects across rural and urban locations. Having a financial account plays a much larger role in determining migration behavior in rural areas. These findings imply that financial inclusion increases respondents’ ability to finance and save for migration costs and may increase their ability to utilize social networks for migration purposes. This has potentially important policy implications for policymakers seeking to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically targets 1.4, 8.10, and 10.7.