Spatial Dynamics of Benefit Spending following the Philadelphia Sugary Drink Tax: A Synthetic Controls Evaluation
The link for the online version will be sent the day before the event.
The City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania implemented an excise tax on sugar and artificially-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in January 2017. Several studies have examined the tax’s impact on purchasing and consumption of SSBs, with some evidence of tax avoidance via cross-border shopping, though none have focused on the tax’s effect on lower-income shoppers. This study combines and leverages large administrative datasets from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program), and applies a synthetic control approach to understand tax effects on shopping in Philadelphia and its neighboring municipalities. Significant changes are documented in overall SNAP spending and participation-adjusted SNAP spending outcomes, indicating broader shopping changes beyond taxed goods alone. This study also highlights the potential for using SNAP data to explore place-based policy effects on food shopping and benefit spending.
Date: 28 April 2022, 9:30 (Thursday, 1st week, Trinity 2022)
Venue: This is a hybrid event, taking place in the Violet Butler Room, Department of Social Policy and Intervention and on Microsoft Teams.
Speaker: Dr Ben Chrisinger (University of Oxford)
Organising department: Department of Social Policy and Intervention
Organisers: Prof. Jane Barlow (University of Oxford), Professor Frances Gardner (University of Oxford)
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Joanne Ronner McGinn