> The thing is, we have actual data on a lot of these policies. I am very skeptical of this - not that we have data, but that the data suggests such a clear an

> The thing is, we have actual data on a lot of these policies. I am very skeptical of this - not that we have data, but that the data suggests such a clear and simple relationship that is open to exploitation via policy. There is a long history of people trying to exploit correlations and realizing that the correlation breaks down whenever they try to turn this into a policy lever. There is also the issue that foodstamps might be beneficial up to a point, but when you flood the system with foodstamps they are no longer beneficial and can be harmful -- there are regimes of effectiveness.