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Desarro. soc. | eISSN 1900-7760 | ISSN 0120-3584

Impact evaluation of the “Tarjeta Alimentar” on food insecurity in Argentina

No. 102 (2026-04-13)
https://doi.org/10.13043/DYS.102.1

Abstract

Tarjeta Alimentar (TA) has been in place since 2020 as an income supplement for families receiving Argentina’s Asignación Universal por Hijo (AUH). The amount of the benefit varies depending on the number of children and adolescents in the household. This study assesses the impact of TA eligibility on food insecurity (FI) using a difference-in-differences (DiD) approach. Based on a sample of urban households with children and adolescents who were AUH recipients, the findings indicate that TA eligibility significantly reduced severe food insecurity in 2020. Owing to the program’s design, severe FI reductions were larger than the average in households with two child recipients, as well as in those with younger children. Moreover, substantial decreases in severe FI were registered in single-parent households and in households where mothers had low education levels. Given that the identification strategy is based on eligibility (age-based rule) rather than observed receipt, the estimates should be interpreted as an Intention-To-Treat (ITT) effect of being eligible for TA.

Keywords: Asignación Universal por Hijo, difference-in-differences (DiD), urban households, food insecurity, Tarjeta Alimentar

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