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Abstract
Are public transfers targeted toward children largely neutralized by the household,
as the theory of altruism implies, or is there an intrahousehold “flypaper effect” whereby
such transfers “stick” to the child? This paper studies the impact of a school feeding
program on child caloric intake in the Philippines. Because children are interviewed on
school days and nonschool days, and because some schools offer a feeding program and
others do not, the dietary impact of the program is identified under mild restrictions. The
empirical results confirm an intrahousehold flypaper effect; indeed, they indicate virtually
no intrahousehold reallocation of calories in response to the feeding program. In poorer
households, however, children’s gains from the program appear to be “taxed” more
heavily.