Food Security
This hub is the food-access practice layer behind Too Early To Say. It shows how applied economists use an AI agent to move from a policy definition to a reproducible neighborhood claim. Each step is one phase of a food-access and SNAP analysis. The agent handles source retrieval, record checks, and first-pass calculations. The population, construct, and policy interpretation remain ours.
This is for economists, policy analysts, and local researchers who already know their methods and want an agent in the workflow without losing control of the analysis. The problem it solves is simple. Hours go to matching stores, tracts, and period estimates, while measurement and interpretation are squeezed into what is left.
One idea runs through all four steps. A food-access claim is usable only when the population, measure, and policy interpretation refer to the same construct. When the specification names each record and proxy, the agent can check it; when the chain breaks, the claim stays under review.
Step 1
The named case applies a 1-mile urban threshold from the Food Access Research Atlas. The agent retrieves the Atlas fields and tract flags. We decide which access measure matches the policy question.
Outcome: A policy-aligned access definition.
Step 2
The validation case begins with 400 hand-labeled records. The agent checks labels and duplicate candidates. We decide which records qualify as grocery stores in the analytic population.
Outcome: A labeled and deduplicated store population.
Step 3
The period-estimate case covers 60 months in each ACS vintage. The agent surfaces the metadata and recomputes the displayed table. We decide whether SNAP participation and the time scale support the stated claim.
Outcome: A proxy statement with a valid time scale.
Step 4
The article describes five named inputs to its composite. The agent traces the variables and formula specification. We decide whether the reconstructed index supports a targeting claim.
Outcome: A reproducible index specification.
Shows why the selected Atlas measure and the policy construct must be named separately.
Documents the label and duplicate checks behind the store population.
Separates SNAP participation from a direct food-insecurity outcome and checks the period scale.
Identifies the index specifications required before a targeting result can be reproduced.
This sequence organizes those lessons into one path. It is an entry point for economists who want an agent in the loop and still want every number to stand up when someone else reruns the script.