Charles Courtemanche

Associate Professor of Economics and Director of the Institute for the Study of

Free Enterprise

University of Kentucky, Gatton College of Business and Economics

550 South Limestone, Lexington, KY 40506

Phone: 859-323-7990
Email: courtemanche@uky.edu

Bio

Dr. Courtemanche is an Associate Professor of Economics in the Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky and Director of the Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise. He is a health economist and applied microeconomist with particular research interests in the economics of obesity and nutrition, health insurance, COVID-19, and big box retailers. He has published over 45 papers in a variety of journals including the Economic Journal, Journal of Public Economics, Journal of Health Economics, Health Affairs, Journal of Urban Economics, Journal of Economic History, Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, and Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. He has received research funding from the National Institutes of Health, United States Department of Agriculture, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Courtemanche is also lead editor of the Southern Economic, a Research Associate in the Health Economics Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and a Research Affiliate with the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).

Latest Publication

Do State Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Policies Influence Program Participation Among Seniors?

Journal of Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy

Senior participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has traditionally been lower than other groups among those eligible, with historical estimates below 50%. We examine the impacts of state SNAP policies on program participation among low-income senior (age 60 and older) and nonsenior households using data from the 2001 to 2014 December Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement. Our results suggest that policies designed to expand SNAP eligibility modestly increased participation among seniors but led to larger increases among nonseniors. In contrast, we find little evidence of effects of policies related to transaction costs, stigma, or outreach on either group.