| Detailed Objective: The study examines trends and seasonality in the receipt of Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) and food stamp benefits among the working poor, to determine whether some of the unexplained portion of recent declines in Food Stamp Program participation can be attributed to increases in EITC receipt, and to determine whether seasonal variation in FSP participation across States is related to Federal and/or State EITC receipt.
Specific research questions addressed by the study include: (1) What are the patterns of EITC receipt, food stamp receipt, and joint EITC-food stamp receipt among the working poor, (2) How has the expanded EITC affected food stamp eligibility, (3) Do increases in EITC, holding constant food stamp eligibility and potential benefits, reduce the take-up of food stamps, and (4) Do food stamp participation rates vary seasonally and inversely with the actual receipt of EITC? |