2013 Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics (RIDGE) Conference

The Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics (RIDGE) Program encourages new and innovative research on food and nutrition assistance issues. The annual conference is a forum for grant recipients and attendees to discuss results of recently funded grants on food assistance program participation, food insecurity among vulnerable populations, and community influence on food assistance and dietary choices.

Location and date:
Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU)
1307 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC
December 17, 2013 (rescheduled from October 10, 2013)

2013 Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics (RIDGE) Conference

8:15 – 8:45: Registration and refreshments

8:45 – 8:55: Opening remarks

• Alex Majchrowicz, Director, RIDGE Program, ERS
• Mary Bohman, Administrator, ERS

Morning session

8:55 – 9:00: Comments from the RIDGE Center for Targeted Studies at the Southern Rural Development Center, Mississippi State University, in cooperation with Purdue University

• Lionel J. “Bo” Beaulieu, Director

9:00 - 9:30: Child Experiences of Food Insecurity in Relation to Child Diet and Physical Activity

• Maryah Fram and Edward Frongilo, Jr., University of South Carolina
• Lorrene Ritchie, University of California, Berkeley
  

9:30 – 10:00: Participation in the National School Lunch Program and Food Security: An Analysis of Transitions into Kindergarten

• Colleen Heflin, University of Missouri
• Irma Arteaga, University of Missouri

10:00 – 10:15: Session break

10:15 – 10:20: Comments from the RIDGE Center for National Food and Nutrition Research at the Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Judi Bartfeld, Director

10:20 – 10:50: The Dynamics of Joint Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Unemployment Insurance by Low-Educated Workers during the Great Recession

• H. Luke Shaefer, University of Michigan
• Alix Gould-Werth, University of Michigan

10:50 – 11:20: The Effects of SNAP after the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

• Timothy Beatty, University of Minnesota
• Elton Mykerezi, University of Minnesota

11:20 – 11:50: Impact of the 2009 ARRA Increase in SNAP Benefits on Dietary Intake and Consumption Patterns

• Partha Deb, Hunter College
• Geetha Waehrer, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation

11:50 – 1:15: Lunch on your own

Afternoon session

1:15 – 1:20: Are WIC and School Meal Programs Effectively Reaching Those in Need? Trends in Children's Early and Continuous Use of Federal Nutritional Policy

• Margot Jackson, Brown University
  
  (Note: Margot Jackson is unable to participate. A synopsis of the project and a web link to the presentation will be provided.)

1:20 – 1:50: Food Assistance During and After the Great Recession in Metropolitan Detroit

• Scott Allard, University of Chicago
• Sandra Danziger, University of Michigan

1:50 – 2:15: The Experience of Food Insecurity and Nutrition Assistance in Rural Alaska

• Tracey Burke, University of Alaska – Anchorage
• Cara Durr, Food Bank of Alaska and Alaska Food Coalition

2:15 – 2:45: How Does Short-Term Household Income Volatility Affect Food Assistance Recipiency?

• Neil Bania, Washington State Institute of Public Policy
• Laura Leete, University of Oregon

2:45 – 3:00: Session break

3:00 - 3:30: Is There A Persistent Rural-Urban Divide? Spatial Inequities in Access to Food Assistance Programs in Indiana

• Julia F. Waity, University of North Carolina - Wilmington

3:30 – 4:00: Hunger in Context: How the Social Context of Meals, Children's Diet, and Parental Experiences with Racism Relate to Household Food Insecurity

• Michael Burke, University of South Carolina
• Sonya Jones, Supervising Professor, University of South Carolina

4:00 – 4:15: Closing remarks and adjournment

• David Smallwood, Branch Chief, Food Assistance Branch, ERS