The Effect of Targeting Subsidies on Non-Food Costs of Rural Households Provinces in Iran

In most countries, one of the major economic policies is to subsidize a producer or consumer. On the other hand, some economists believe that supportive policies distort market prices and cost of production, and unduly allocate inputs and reduce social welfare in the long run. This research investigates the effect of targeting subsidies on the nonfood costs of rural households using the panel data in different provinces of the country during the period of 2008-2015. Provinces were divided into three categories: low and very low, medium, high and very high development. The results showed that in the low and very low, high and very high provinces, targeting of subsidies had a significant negative impact and the average income in all three groups had a significant positive impact on the nonfood costs of rural households. JEL Classification: C23, E64, R28