Corruption, food subsidies, and opacity: Evidence from the Philippines

► Many food subsidy programs are secretive about food allocations to local markets. ► Our theory suggests that theft rates from such programs will rise as they are scaled up. ► We provide the first cross-sectionally comparable estimates of subsidized food theft. ► In 2006, 48% of rice subsidized by the Philippines government disappeared. ► In a cross section, only 240 g of each additional kilogram of rice inputs reached consumers.