Title: The impact of a conditional cash transfer program on consumption in Colombia
Abstract: The brief summarizes the impact of a conditional cash transfer Program on Consumption in Colombia. The program originally began in 2001 and was funded by the IDB to last for 3 years. This paper studies the impact of a conditional cash transfer program in Colombia on the total consumption of very poor households and on its components. Our evaluation methodology involves comparing household expenditures in areas in which the program was not implemented (control) and those in which it was (treated). We use a quasi-experimental approach, as the Familias en Accion program was not randomly assigned across localities, for political reasons. We condition on a large range of household- and municipality-level characteristics, and also control for preprogram differences in the outcomes of interest using a differences-indifferences methodology. We find that the program has been effective at greatly increasing total consumption and its main component, food consumption, in both rural and urban areas. The program has also contributed to improvements in the quality of food consumed, in particular of items rich in proteins (milk, meat and eggs) and of cereals. Furthermore, the program has created redistributive effects in favor of children through expenditure on education and children's clothing, while it has not significantly affected consumption of adult goods such as alcohol and tobacco or adults' clothing.
Publication Year: 2013
Publication Date: 2013-08-14
Language: en
Type: article
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 10
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot