Poverty in Mexico's Southern States

This paper attempts to answer the following questions: How poor are the southern states of Chiapas, Guerrero, and Oaxaca? How much progress was achieved in the 1990s toward reducing poverty in these states? Why are households in these states so poor? Specifically, does their poverty result from a lack of assets or from low returns to existing assets? Finally, to what extent do federal transfers and programs benefit the south and poor households within the south?