먹거리 지원사업 추진방식별 수혜자 후생효과 실증분석

Estimation of Welfare Effects of Changing Payment Method in Food Assistance Program

Lack of empirical research substantiates the economic theory that electronic vouchers significantly have more impact on beneficiaries’ utility than discounts and in-kind transfers. In this respect, we evaluate the magnitude of the utility increase in money-metric value. We hypothesize a situation of policy integration and employ a contingent valuation method to assess the willingness to accept (WTA) occurred by a degradation in consumer food options. We discovered that beneficiaries can achieve a higher level of welfare when benefits are paid through electronic vouchers. Also, we proved that the welfare effects of adopting an e-voucher system are higher among consumers who are currently supported by electronic voucher programs compared to others.