Prospects for household-level research on consumption and nutrition effects of PL-480 Title II food aid

480 Title II food programs on household food allocation and consumption are analyzed. A review of existing literature yields several variables related to household consumption patterns. Program variables include type of delivery (onsite or take-home), mode of distribution (food for work, maternal/child health, and school feeding programs), and ration size and composition; non-program variables include household structure and composition, as well as income and resource availability, seasonality, the availability and use of health programs, and various biological factors. An analytical framework modeled on household structure and composition, and in particular the bargaining roles of men and women in different household settings, is established. Within this framework, 18 hypotheses relating food aid program participation and commodity use to the above-noted variables are presented. Design options are offered for operational research to refine and test three priority hypotheses: that (1) the composition of the ration and (2) the total quantity of food provided affect participation and commodity use, and (3) that food type and quantity affect marginal propensity to consume. Related considerations such as data needs, analysis, and validity are addressed. Appended are 16 pages of references (1932-85).