Jessica E. Todd

Agricultural Economist
202-694-5363
jtodd@ers.usda.gov

Briefly

Jessica Todd is an Agricultural Economist in the Food Economics Division, Diet, Safety, and Health Branch. She conducts research on the economics of food choices, diet and health outcomes, and food and nutrition assistance programs. Her work is published in scholarly journals, ERS reports, and other outlets.

Background

Before joining ERS in 2007, Jessica worked primarily as a consultant for the Inter-American Development Bank, studying the impact of conditional cash transfer programs in Latin America. She has also consulted for the World Bank, the Center for Global Development, and the International Food Policy Research Institute.

Education

Jessica received a Ph.D. and an M.A. in economics from American University. She earned a B.S. in natural resources management from Colorado State University.

Selected Publications

Todd, J.E. 2015. "Revisiting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cycle of food intake: Investigating heterogeneity, diet quality, and a large boost in benefit amounts," Applied Economic Perspectives & Policy 37(3):437-458.

Mancino, L., J.E. Todd, J.F. Guthrie, B. Lin. 2014. "Food Away From Home and Childhood Obesity," Current Obesity Reports 3(4):459–469.

Todd, J.E. and M. Ver Ploeg. 2014. "Caloric Beverage Intake among Adult Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participants," American Journal of Public Health 104(9):e80-e85.

Zhen, C., E.A. Finkelstein, J. Nonnemaker, S.A. Karns, and  J.E. Todd. 2014. "Predicting the effects of sugar-sweetened beverage taxes on food and beverage demand in a large demand system," American Journal of Agricultural  Economics 96(1):1-25.

Finkelstein, E.A., C. Zhen, M. Bilger, J. Nonnemaker, A.M. Farooqui, J.E. Todd. 2013. "Implications of a Sugar-Sweetened Beverage (SSB) Tax When Substitutions to Non-Beverage Items Are Considered," Journal of Health Economics 32(1):219-239. DOI:10.1016/j.jhealeco.2012.10.005

J.E. Todd, P. Winters, and G. Stecklov. 2012. "Evaluating the Impact of the Poverty-Reduction Programs on Fertility: The Case of Red de Protección Social in Nicaragua," Journal of Population Economics 25(1):267-290.

Newman, C., J.E. Todd, and M. Ver Ploeg. 2011. "Children’s Participation in Multiple Food Assistance Programs: Changes from 1990 to 2008," Social Service Review 85(4):535-564. DOI: 10.1086/663833.

J.E. Todd and P. Winters. 2011. "The Effect of Early Interventions in Health and Nutrition on On-time School Enrollment: Evidence from the Oportunidades Program in Rural Mexico," Economic Development and Cultural Change 59(3):549-581.

Finkelstein, E.A., C. Zhen, J. Nonnemaker, and J.E. Todd. 2010. "The Impact of Targeted Beverage Taxes on Higher and Lower Income Households," Archives of Internal Medicine 170(22):2028-2034.

Todd, J.E., P. Winters, and T. Hertz. 2010. "Conditional Cash Transfers and Agricultural Production: Lessons from the Oportunidades Experience in Mexico," Journal of Development Studies 46(1):39-67.

Mancino, L., J.E. Todd, and B. Lin. 2009. "Separating what we eat from where: Measuring the effect of food away from home on diet quality," Food Policy 34(6):557-562.

Winters, P., G. Stecklov, and J.E. Todd. 2009. "Household demography in the short run: The response of household structure to economic change in Nicaragua," Journal of Marriage and Family 71(3):208-226.

Glassman, A., J.E. Todd, and M. Gaardner. 2009. "Latin America: Cash Transfers to Support Better Household Decisions," in Performance Initiatives for Global Health: Potential and Pitfalls, R. Eichler, and R. Levine, eds., pp. 89-121. Washington, DC: Center for Global Development.

Stecklov, G., P. Winters, J.E. Todd, and F. Regalia. 2007. "Unintended effects of poverty programmes on childbearing in less developed countries: Experimental evidence from Latin America," Population Studies 61(2):125-140.