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Economic and Political Inclusion in Human Development Conditional Income Transfer Programmes in Latin America

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 May 2016

Armando Barrientos  and
Juan M. Villa
Armando Barrientos
Affiliation:
Professor of Poverty and Social Justice at the Global Development Institute, The University of Manchester, UK E-mail: armando.barrientos@manchester.ac.uk
Juan M. Villa
Affiliation:
Research Fellow at the Global Development Institute, The University of Manchester, UK E-mail: juan.villa@manchester.ac.uk
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Abstract

Most countries in Latin America have implemented human development conditional income transfer programmes to address intergenerational persistence of poverty. Typically, these programmes provide income transfers to households in poverty, conditional on children attending school and on household members attending health clinics. Evaluations have established that programmes reach their explicit short- and medium-term objectives, especially as regards nutrition, children's schooling and improved health care utilisation. It is too early to say whether they will be successful in reducing the intergenerational persistence of poverty. Crucially, this will depend on whether they contribute to the economic and political inclusion of groups in poverty. This article reviews the available literature and finds that participation in human development conditional income transfer programmes leads to improvements in productive capacity, but that favourable labour market conditions will be needed to guarantee economic inclusion. Improved political participation associated with programme participation raises the prospects for greater political inclusion.

Keywords

Conditional Cash TransfersCCTLatin Americapovertyeconomic inclusionpolitical inclusion
Type
Themed Section on Assessing the Effects of Conditional Cash Transfers in Latin American Societies in the Early Twenty-First Century
Information
Social Policy and Society , Volume 15 , Issue 3 , July 2016 , pp. 421 - 433
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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