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Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Restricted Thesis: Campus only access

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Department

Mathematical Economics

First Advisor

Dr. Alexander Persaud

Second Advisor

Dr. Della Dumbaugh

Abstract

In 2024, the UN World Food Program provided assistance to 124.4 million people worldwide, including both direct food aid and agricultural aid (WFP, 2025). Though both forms of aid aim to reduce poverty through improved food access, it is unclear which program is better suited to the broader objective of poverty reduction and increased consumer spending. This study seeks to fill this gap in the literature by examining whether agricultural-input aid affects household consumption differently than food aid among Malawian agricultural households. Employing a Fixed Effects (FE) model with nationally representative panel data spanning 2010-2019, I test whether receiving subsidized seed and fertilizer generates different consumption outcomes than receiving free corn. This research contributes to the broader policy debate on optimal aid composition by providing rigorous empirical evidence on the differential effects of production-oriented (agricultural aid) versus consumption-oriented (food aid) interventions on household spending.

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