Evaluating the Impact of Conditional Cash Transfer Programs: Lessons from Latin America

25 Pages Posted: 20 Apr 2016

See all articles by Laura B. Rawlings

Laura B. Rawlings

World Bank - Latin America & the Caribbean Region

Gloria Rubio

University of the Americas, Puebla; World Bank - Latin America and Caribbean Region

Date Written: August 13, 2003

Abstract

Unlike most development initiatives, conditional cash transfer programs recently introduced in the Latin America and the Caribbean region have been subject to rigorous evaluations of their effectiveness. These programs provide money to poor families, conditional on certain behavior, usually investments in human capital - such as sending children to school or bringing them to health centers on a regular basis. Rawlings and Rubio review the experience in evaluating the impact of these programs, exploring the application of experimental and quasi-experimental evaluation methods and summarizing results from programs launched in Brazil, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Evaluation results from the first generation of programs in Brazil, Mexico, and Nicaragua show that conditional cash transfer programs are effective in promoting human capital accumulation among poor households. There is clear evidence of success in increasing enrollment rates, improving preventive health care, and raising household consumption. Despite this promising evidence, many questions remain unanswered about the impact of conditional cash transfer programs, including those concerning their effectiveness under different country conditions and the sustainability of the welfare impacts.

This paper - a product of the Human Development Sector Unit, Latin America and the Caribbean Region - is part of a larger effort in the region to assess the effectiveness of social protection programs.

Suggested Citation

Rawlings, Laura B. and Rubio, Gloria, Evaluating the Impact of Conditional Cash Transfer Programs: Lessons from Latin America (August 13, 2003). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=636482

Laura B. Rawlings (Contact Author)

World Bank - Latin America & the Caribbean Region ( email )

Washington, DC 20433
United States

Gloria Rubio

University of the Americas, Puebla ( email )

Sta. Catarina Martir
Cholula, Puebla 72820 72810
Mexico

World Bank - Latin America and Caribbean Region ( email )

Human Development Department
1818 H Street NW
Washington, DC 20433
United States

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