Previous research shows that the way transfer income is disbursed can affect what households purchase with that income. In this paper, I provide evidence that disbursement technique can affect the timing of purchases as well. I examine the U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which switched on a state-by-state basis from cash-similar food coupons to Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT)—a secure debit card—from 1993 to 2004. I find that EBT mitigated boom and bust cycles in food spending associated with SNAP disbursement. This effect is entirely driven by households with children (about two thirds of the SNAP population), who experienced more severe cycles prior to EBT. The effect operates only through the intensive margin—the amount spent on food during a shopping trip—and not at all on the extensive margin—the likelihood of going food shopping.

中文翻译：

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电子福利转移和食品支出周期

先前的研究表明，转移收入的支付方式会影响家庭用该收入购买的商品。在本文中，我提供证据表明支付技术也会影响购买时间。我研究了美国补充营养援助计划 (SNAP)，从 1993 年到 2004 年，该计划逐州从类似现金的食品券转向电子福利转移 (EBT)（一种安全的借记卡）。我发现 EBT缓解了与 SNAP 支付相关的食品支出的繁荣和萧条周期。这种影响完全是由有孩子的家庭（约占 SNAP 人口的三分之二）推动的，他们在 EBT 之前经历了更严重的周期。