Intergenerational Social Mobility Based on the Investments in Human Capital : Evidence of the Long-Term Results of PROSPERA in Health

Mexico’s conditional cash transfer program, PROSPERA, has demonstrated short- and medium-term positive effects on health and education, including: increased children’s height; decreased risky behaviors among adolescents, including the postponement of parenthood; and increased years of schooling. This paper explores whether these effects lasted in the long-term and translated into positive changes in outcomes across generations. This study uses the most recent PROSPERA Evaluation Survey (ENCEL 2017), and combines it with previous waves and with the 1997 Socioeconomic Characteristics Survey (ENCASEH). Using intergenerational mobility analysis and quasi-experimental methods, this study finds strong evidence of positive absolute intergenerational mobility in height and years of schooling. The findings show that, on average, male offspring are 2.8 centimeters taller and have 5.3 more years of schooling than their providers (usually their parents), while female offspring are 4.1 centimeters taller and have 5.7 more years of schooling than their providers. These intergenerational gains are relevant not only because they reflect improvements in human capital, but also because these improvements have a positive return to investment. The study finds that a 1 percent increase in height is associated with a 10.7 and 8.8 percent increases in hourly wages for men and women, respectively. The analysis finds that a one-year increase in schooling is associated with 3.4 and 4.8 percent increases in hourly wages for men and women, respectively. These results show that PROSPERA has been successful in helping children and youth build human capital through better health and education, which has led to positive returns in the labor market