An analysis of micro-management of social policy

The case of the Universal Child Allowance in the field

Abstract

The design and implementation of the conditional cash transfer programs have placed additional focus on how the stimulus to families’ incomes would generate more inclusion and, as a result of this income distribution, they would improve access to public goods and services.

In the case of the Universal Child Allowance (La Asignación Universal por Hijo, or AUH), the program made significant progress in broadening the perception of family allowances and, by incorporating conditionalities in health and education, seeks to extend the medium and long-term impacts in order to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty.

Regarding the achievements of these goals, a general analysis indicates that approximately 15% of children and adolescents are not covered by any income transfer scheme, adding to the persistence of high levels of childhood poverty. The working hypothesis is that the population that is still unprotected belongs, in a significantly large proportion, to the segment of persistent poverty, with multiple deficiencies that compromise the cycle of household reproduction and geographical situations. In this framework, the present work focuses on the analysis of the design and micro-management of the AUH, identifying the pending needs and obstacles, in order to deepen and sophisticate the interventions and achieve the effective universalization of coverage.