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

Rawlings, Laura B. ; Rubio, Gloria M.

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: CASH TRANSFER SYSTEM;    POOR FAMILIES;    HUMAN CAPITAL;    EVALUATION OF PROJECTS;    CASH TRANSFERS;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-3119
RP-ID  :  WPS3119

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Unlike most development initiatives,conditional cash transfer programs recently introduced inthe Latin America and the Caribbean region have been subjectto rigorous evaluations of their effectiveness. Theseprograms provide money to poor families, conditional oncertain behavior, usually investments in human capital-suchas sending children to school or bringing them to healthcenters on a regular basis. Rawlings and Rubio review theexperience in evaluating the impact of these programs,exploring the application of experimental andquasi-experimental evaluation methods and summarizingresults from programs launched in Brazil, Honduras, Jamaica,Mexico, and Nicaragua. Evaluation results from the firstgeneration of programs in Brazil, Mexico, and Nicaragua showthat conditional cash transfer programs are effective inpromoting human capital accumulation among poor households.There is clear evidence of success in increasing enrollmentrates, improving preventive health care, and raisinghousehold consumption. Despite this promising evidence, manyquestions remain unanswered about the impact of conditionalcash transfer programs, including those concerning theireffectiveness under different country conditions and thesustainability of the welfare impacts.