GOING BEYOND AGGREGATED MEASURES IN THE CONDITIONAL CASH TRANSFER PROGRAMS: THE EFFECTIVE COVERAGE OF BENEFITS AND BENEFICIARIES

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present two alternative indicators in order to rethink and reevaluate the coverage of the conditional cash transfer programs (CCTs) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The term effective coverage, introduced by the World Health Organization, was used as a reference to adjust the aggregate indicators on the ECLAC database taking into account the target population of the programs. (1) Effective coverage of beneficiaries is a metric that shows the potential proportion of population living in monetary poverty that benefits from the CCTs. (2) Effective coverage of benefits shows the potential proportion of the monetary poverty line value invested by the CCTs. Only three CCTs presented an effective coverage of beneficiaries higher than the total population in monetary poverty, and nine over the total population in extreme monetary poverty. Meanwhile, ten CCTs presented an effective coverage of benefits higher than the extreme monetary poverty line value, and seven higher than the monetary poverty line value.