RESUMO
Public policy programs must often impose limits on who may be eligible for benefits. Despite research on the impact of exclusion in developed countries, there is little evidence on how people react to being excluded from benefits in developing societies. Utilizing repeated waves of data from an experimental evaluation of Mexico's foundational PROGRESA antipoverty program, we examine the impact of exclusion and distinguish two separate forms. "Statistical exclusion" occurs where determination of benefits is based on randomized assignment to a treatment and control group. "Needs-based exclusion" occurs when benefits programs are designed to be selective rather than universal, basing eligibility on characteristics, like relative poverty, that are difficult to measure simply and accurately. Focusing on temporal variation in survey non-response as our behavioral outcome, we show that needs-based exclusion has much greater negative effects on continued participation than statistical exclusion. We also show that these effects are concentrated among the wealthy, that is, those furthest from the eligibility cut-off line. These findings reinforce general concerns about the validity of evaluation studies when incentives are at work. We discuss both the behavioral explanations that might underlie these findings as well as some potential approaches to reduce threats to evaluation validity.
Assuntos
Definição da Elegibilidade , Seguridade Social , Humanos , México , Motivação , Pobreza , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
This article assesses whether early intervention to improve children's health and nutrition increases the probability of enrolling in primary school on time. Using experimental data from the Mexican conditional cash transfer (CCT) program, Oportunidades, a cross-sectional double-difference estimator on observations from two age cohorts of children is used to identify the impact of early intervention. The results indicate that early health and nutrition interventions can have a positive impact on the timing of enrollment and that caregiver characteristics affect the magnitude of the impact. Early intervention also appears to decrease days of school missed. Overall the results indicate that the full impact of CCT programs on education cannot be measured in the short run as benefits of early health and nutrition interventions may be also felt in the distant future.
Assuntos
Serviços de Saúde da Criança , Ciências da Nutrição Infantil , Proteção da Criança , Programas Governamentais , Instituições Acadêmicas , Criança , Serviços de Saúde da Criança/economia , Serviços de Saúde da Criança/história , Serviços de Saúde da Criança/legislação & jurisprudência , Ciências da Nutrição Infantil/economia , Ciências da Nutrição Infantil/educação , Ciências da Nutrição Infantil/história , Ciências da Nutrição Infantil/legislação & jurisprudência , Proteção da Criança/economia , Proteção da Criança/etnologia , Proteção da Criança/história , Proteção da Criança/legislação & jurisprudência , Proteção da Criança/psicologia , Pré-Escolar , Programas Governamentais/economia , Programas Governamentais/educação , Programas Governamentais/história , Programas Governamentais/legislação & jurisprudência , História do Século XX , História do Século XXI , Humanos , Lactente , México/etnologia , Instituições Acadêmicas/economia , Instituições Acadêmicas/história , Instituições Acadêmicas/legislação & jurisprudênciaRESUMO
The Dominican Republic is a tobacco-growing country, and tobacco control efforts there have been virtually nonexistent. This study provides a first systematic surveillance of tobacco use in six economically disadvantaged Dominican Republic communities (two small urban, two peri-urban, two rural; half were tobacco growing). Approximately 175 households were randomly selected in each community (total N = 1,048), and an adult household member reported on household demographics and resources (e.g., electricity), tobacco use and health conditions of household members, and household policies on tobacco use. Poverty and unemployment were high in all communities, and significant gaps in access to basic resources such as electricity, running water, telephones/cell phones, and secondary education were present. Exposure to tobacco smoke was high, with 38.4% of households reporting at least one tobacco user, and 75.5% allowing smoking in the home. Overall, 22.5% reported using tobacco, with commercial cigarettes (58.0%) or self-rolled cigarettes (20.1%) the most commonly used types. Considerable variability in prevalence and type of use was found across communities. Overall, tobacco use was higher in males, illiterate groups, those aged 45 or older, rural dwellers, and tobacco-growing communities. Based on reported health conditions, tobacco attributable risks, and World Health Organization mortality data, it is estimated that at least 2,254 lives could potentially be saved each year in the Dominican Republic with tobacco cessation. Although it is expected that the reported prevalence of tobacco use and health conditions represent underestimates, these figures provide a starting point for understanding tobacco use and its prevalence in the Dominican Republic.
Assuntos
Fumar/epidemiologia , Tabagismo/epidemiologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Demografia , República Dominicana/epidemiologia , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Vigilância da População , Prevalência , Fatores de Risco , Abandono do Hábito de Fumar , Fatores SocioeconômicosRESUMO
Prior research on Mexican migration has shown that social networks and economic incentives play an important role in determining migration outcomes. We use experimental data from PROGRESA, Mexico's primary poverty-reduction program, to evaluate the effects of conditional cash transfers on migration both domestically and to the United States. Our study complements a growing body of literature aimed at overcoming longstanding hurdles to the establishment of causal validity in empirical studies of migration. Analysis based on the data collected before and after the program's onset shows that conditional transfers reduce U.S. migration but not domestic migration. The data also enable us to explore the role of existing family and community migration networks. The results show that migration networks strongly influence migration, but that the effect of conditional transfers on migration is apparently not mediated by existing migration network structures. Our results suggest that conditional transfers may be helpful in managing rural out-migration, particularly to the United States.