Safety net payment digitization and participant outcomes: Evidence from the WIC EBT transition
Journal of Public Economics · 2026 · Charlotte Ambrozek、Timothy K.M. Beatty、Wenjie Zhan
Abstract
Can digital technologies improve the efficiency of social safety net programs? This paper examines the impact of digitizing payments in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) on participant outcomes. We hand-collect the rollout schedule of payment digitization and link it to WIC participation and birth outcomes across multiple datasets. We find that WIC participation increases and birth outcomes improve among mothers exposed to digitization. Suggestive evidence indicates that payment digitization raises WIC participation by increasing awareness of the program and reducing stigma at the point of purchase, and that higher participation may, in turn, improve birth outcomes by increasing health insurance enrollment. Our back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that payment digitization is fiscally appealing, with a marginal value of public funds of 0.94. These findings can inform evaluations of further digitization in safety net programs, such as online redemption.