Abt Associates has released a policy brief and white paper addressing program design and evaluation issues for the forthcoming SNAP E&T pilots to be funded by the 2014 Farm Bill.
From Abt:
The 2014 Farm Bill (Agriculture Act of 2014, H.R. 2642) includes $200 million for up to 10 three-year pilot projects in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) “to reduce dependency and increase work requirements and work effort.” The Farm Bill also requires an evaluation of these pilot projects. This Policy Brief considers the options for the employment and training program to be funded by the law.
Abt Policy Brief: SNAP Employment and Training Pilot Projects—Programmatic Strategies to Reduce Dependency and Increase Work Effort
From Abt:
This White Paper considers several issues related to the evaluation of the employment and training pilots: (i) random assignment; (ii) capturing entry effects; (iii) required sample sizes; (iv) data collection; and (v) the interrelation of the pilots and the evaluation.
Abt White Paper: Evaluation Choices and Challenges for the SNAP E&T Pilot Projects