Free lunch for all? The impact of universal school lunch on student misbehavior

Universal Welfare May Be Costly: Evidence from School Meal Programs and Student Fitness in South Korea

“…However, regarding the effects of universal school meals on academic performance, the empirical results are not that promising. For example, ABLM [14] found that the expansion of free school meal eligibility was not statistically associated with Korean, English, and math scores. Leos-Urbel et al [11], using New York City data, showed that universal free school breakfast had only a limited impact on academic outcomes.…”

“…For instance, Murphy and colleagues [31] demonstrated that increased participation following the implementation of a universal free breakfast program in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, decreased student absences and tardiness. ABLM [14] also showed that a universal free school meal program in Korea reduced student violence, because the program minimized the possibility that students from low-income households would become potential targets of school bullies.…”

“…However, officials affiliated with the ruling party who managed to get elected strongly opposed the FSMP [42][43][44]. As shown in ABLM [14], those school districts governed by conservative superintendents almost exactly coincide with regions where the ratio of free school meal beneficiaries is less than 70%. In this political landscape, the program's adoption was determined based on the party membership of mayors, governors, superintendents, and council members.…”

“…These papers show a positive association between universal provision and the take-up rate of school meals focusing on nutritional changes such school meal policies caused; however, improvements in student outcomes were not found. In contrast, Altindag et al [14] (hereafter ABLM) pay attention to a unique feature of FSMP in Korea where the quality of school foods has not meaningfully improved but the transition from selective to universal provision of free meals reduces the stigmatization for beneficiaries. They empirically show that FSMP reduced student misbehavior in Korean schools.…”

“…Our paper contributes to the discussion on the effectiveness of universal free school meals with a focus on student fitness outcomes. Relying on ABLM's Korean school data and empirical strategy [14], we present empirical evidence from annual fitness evaluations that unconditional and free provision of school lunches reduces the share of students with top grades. When the adoption of FSMP is defined as a single treatment, the program has mixed influences on the share of high-fitness students.…”