an Eldis Resource
The impact of conditional cash transfers on human development outcomes: a review of evidence from PROGRESA in Mexico and some implications for policy debates in South and Southern Africa
Conditional cash transfer programmes in Southern Africa and Latin America
Authors:
P. Gertler; B. Barungi; I. Woolard
Publisher:
Southern African Regional Poverty Network , 2005
This paper reflects on assessments of Mexico's Conditional Cash Transfer scheme (called PROGRESA) and draws comparisons with South Africa's Child Support Grant (CSG). It captures key highlights of a discussion on the impact of incentive based programmes in Latin America and in Southern Africa.
Conclusions include:
- political commitment and effective monitoring and evaluation were critical to PROGRESA's longer term sustainability. On inception, a strong commitment to rigorous evaluation was critical in ensuring that the next generation of policy makers would not abandon the programme
- early assessments of South Africa's Child Support Grant suggest that it has a potentially significant impact on very young children, but their enrolment rates are still quite low
- based on Latin America's experience, the fiscal implications of scaling up this process for countries with higher levels of poverty suggest that providing schools and health care facilities may be a higher priority than cash transfers
- in Africa, supply side issues were significant to the overall debate on social protection in Africa.
[adapted from author]
