Geographic targeting is perhaps the most popular mechanism used to direct social programs to the poor in Latin America. This paper empirically compares geographic targeting indicators available in Peru. To this effect, I combine household-level information from the 1997 Peru Living Standards...

How important are subsistence concerns in a family's decision to send a child to work? We consider this question in Ecuador, where poor families are selected at random to receive a cash transfer that is equivalent to 7 percent of monthly expenditures. Winning the cash transfer lottery is...

: The economic rationale for conditional cash transfers -- Design and implementation features of CCT programs -- The impact of CCTs on consumption poverty and employment -- The impact of CCT programs on the accumulation of human capital -- Conditional cash transfers : policy and design options

"Does child labor decrease as household income rises? This question has important implications for the design of policy on child labor. This paper focuses on a program of unconditional cash transfers in Ecuador. It argues that the effect of a small increase in household income on child labor...

Raising children: the case for government intervention -- A report card on early childhood development -- Family first -- Daycare services: it's all about quality -- Early schooling: teachers make the difference -- More bang for the buck: investing in early childhood development -- Drawing up an...

The report shows that there is good evidence that conditional cash transfers (CCTs) have improved the lives of poor people. Transfers generally have been well targeted to poor households, have raised consumption levels, and have reduced poverty, by a substantial amount in some countries....

Does child labor decrease as household income rises? This question has important implications for the design of policy on child labor. This paper focuses on a program of unconditional cash transfers in Ecuador. It argues that the effect of a small increase in household income on child labor...