Conditional Cash Transfer Programs and Nutrition in Latin America: Assessment of Impacts and Strategies for Improvement

Abstract

This paper examines the degree to which four CCT programs, Brazil's Bolsa Alimentaco, the Programa de Asignacion Familiar - Fase II (PRAF-II) in Honduras, Mexico's Programa de Educacion, Salud, y Alimentacion (PROGRESA), and Red de Proteccion Social (RPS) in Nicaragua, have improved preschool nutritional status. While PROGRESA in Mexico and RPS in Nicaragua are associated with improvements in child height that are sizeable in magnitude, PRAF in Honduras and BA in Brazil have essentially no effects on preschool nutritional status. Further, while improvements in iron status are observed in Mexico, these are not found in Honduras or Nicaragua, the other countries where this outcome was studied. We conclude with options for design modifications that could enhance CCT impacts on nutritional status in Latin America based on a review of best practices from the literature on nutrition interventions.

Keywords: PROGRESA, nutrition, CCT, Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras, Brazil

JEL Classification: I12, O12