Paper short abstract:

The experiences of recipients of CCT programmes are rarely accounted for in evaluations of the programmes. This paper will undertake a qualitative analysis of accounts of recipients of Mexico's Prospera programme, and whether they feel it has impacted on intergenerational mobility of recipients.

Paper long abstract:

Conditional Cash Transfer programmes (CCTs) were lauded as a 'magic bullet' for development upon their introduction and quickly spread to over 80 countries. Now over two decades since their initial introduction, little is known about their effects upon intergenerational mobility; this is despite the fact that initial criticisms of the programmes claimed that their objective of tackling long-term intergenerational poverty failed to address the immediate short-term issues. The Mexican CCT Prospera, rolled out in 1997, had a strong focus on investing in the human capital of children enrolled in the programme which addressed the prioritised long-term objectives of impacting intergenerational mobility. Despite the long-term goals of the programme, and the fact that Prospera was designed from its inception to have measurable outcomes, there is a lack of evidence examining its long-term intergenerational effects.

A number of studies have demonstrated positive impacts of Prospera; however evidence is lacking to demonstrate that these impacts have translated into better mobility. Research has begun to suggest that the long-term impact on intergenerational mobility is positive but there is a need to expand this research. This paper will examine and seek to contextualise the absence of a qualitative evaluation of intergenerational mobility. The limited qualitative research which has been conducted into CCTs has highlighted how recipients' understanding of the programmes differs greatly to that of policy makers. Analysing the experience of Prospera's beneficiaries would provide an insight into how the programme is performing in terms of intergenerational mobility from a usually unaccounted for viewpoint.