Is There an Intrahousehold ‘Flypaper Effect’? Evidence from a School Feeding Programme

Are public transfers targeted toward children neutralised 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 programme on child caloric intake in the Philippines using a quasi‐experimental methodology. The empirical results confirm an intrahousehold flypaper effect; indeed, they indicate virtually no intrahousehold reallocation of calories in response to the feeding programme. In poorer households, however, children’s gains from the programme appear to be ‘taxed’ more heavily.