Christopher John Bosso 
Why SNAP Works [EPUB ebook] 
A Political History—and Defense—of the Food Stamp Program

The first book to tell the whole story of SNAP and to explain why all Americans should support it.

 

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is the nation’s largest government effort for helping low-income Americans obtain an adequate diet. How did SNAP, formerly the food stamp program, evolve from a Depression-era effort to use up surplus goods into America’s foundational food assistance program? And how does SNAP survive? Incisive and original,
Why SNAP Works is the first book to provide a comprehensive history and evaluation of the nation’s most important food insecurity and poverty alleviation effort.

 

Everyone has an opinion about SNAP, not all of them positive, but its benefits are felt broadly and across party lines. Christopher Bosso makes a clear, nuanced, and impassioned case for protecting this unique food program, exploring its history and breaking down the facts for readers across the political spectrum.
Why SNAP Works is an essential book for anyone concerned about food access, poverty, and the “welfare system” in the United States.

Table of Content

Contents


List of Figures 

Acknowledgments 


1. Tales at the Intersection of Want and Plenty 

2. “To Encourage Domestic Consumption” 

3. The Paradox Anew 

4. Farm Programs + Food Programs 

5. Welfare Politics 

6. Let Us Now Praise the Food Stamp Plan 


Appendix: Table 1. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance

Program participation and costs, 1961–2022 

Chronology: Key Moments in Food Stamps and the

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 

Notes 

Suggested Reading 

Index

About the author

Christopher Bosso is Professor of Public Policy and Politics in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University, Boston.