The New Trend in Social Policies. Conditional Cash Transfer Programs: A Comparative Analysis of Peru and Ecuador

Seminar paper from the year 2013 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Region: Middle- and South America, grade: 1.4, language: English, abstract: During the last decade, Conditional Cash Transfer programs have become indispensable to social policies of Latin American countries. Between 1990 and 2011 seventeen countries in Central and South America started to provide financial support to poor families, based on the condition that certain health and education requirements are fulfilled. Although Conditional Cash Transfer programs of different countries are usually similar in design and outcome, each of them has its peculiarities. This paper conducts a comparative analysis of Conditional Cash Transfer programs in Peru, named Juntos, and Ecuador, named Bono de Desarrollo Humano. The aim of this paper is two-folded. By taking into account the political regime, historical legacy of social provision, current social policies as well as structural conditions of each country, this paper provides an explanation of similarities and differences of the design and outcome of Juntos in Peru and Bono de Desarrollo Humano in Ecuador. Additional to that, the paper uses this analysis to demonstrate that Conditional Cash Transfer programs alone cannot be made accountable for a reduction in poverty rates and more balanced figures of inequality.