Evaluation of MDS Policies and Programs, Results. Volume 2: Bolsa Família Program and Social Assistance

Brazil’s social protection policy, and in particular its Bolsa Familia programme, has been much discussed as a potentially valuable export to other rising powers, as well as to low-income countries looking to implement rights-based social protection policy. At the time of its establishment, in 2004, bringing together the Ministry of Social Assistance, the Bolsa Família Executive Secretariat and the Special Ministry of Food Security and the Fight Against Hunger, the MDS became responsible for 21 ongoing programs. This publication contains the first results of a set of studies evaluating programs of the Ministry of Social Development and the Fight Against Hunger (MDS). Evaluation considerations included: what was desired or necessary to be known about a given program or policy; the desired and feasible deadline for achievement of results; financial resources available; and access to reliable databases.