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Between Poor Relief and Human Capital Investments - Paradoxes in Hybrid Social Assistance

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Author

Summary, in English

Conditional cash transfers (CCTs) are often being promoted for their simultaneous advantages of short-term income protection and long-term human capital investments. Yet, existing evaluations have largely failed to test the underlying programme theory, and few empirical case studies have explored inherent contradictions and ambiguous consequences of this hybrid approach. To further understand the programmes’ social policy implications, this study identifies and analyzes such ambiguities and paradoxical consequences in the case of Uruguay’s CCT-programme, Asignaciones Familiares (AFAM). Drawing on qualitative data from inter- views with beneficiaries and members of the commission who designed the programme, this study reveals major paradoxes in AFAM’s design and implementation caused by various endogenous factors. Relevant to social policy in general, and CCT-evaluations in particular, findings also indicate that the hybrid social assistance approach may have perverse effects on the programme’s twin objectives.

Department/s

Publishing year

2016-05-15

Language

English

Pages

316-335

Publication/Series

Social Policy & Administration

Volume

50

Issue

3

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell

Topic

  • Sociology

Keywords

  • Conditional cash transfers
  • Social assistance
  • Poverty
  • Human capital investments
  • Uruguay
  • Policy evaluation

Status

Published

Research group

  • Samhälle, utveckling och miljö

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1467-9515