Abstract

WALSH, Matthew; POY, Santiago  and  TUNON, Ianina. THE IMPACT OF HEALTH CONDITIONALITIES IN CONDITIONAL CASH TRANSFER PROGRAMMES: THE CASE OF THE AUH IN ARGENTINA. Desarro. soc. [online]. 2020, n.85, pp.157-192. ISSN 0120-3584.  https://doi.org/10.13043/dys.85.4.

The Universal Child Allowance (AUH) is an Argentine cash transfer programme that conditions payment to parents on the fulfilment of health and education conditions for their children. While the impact of the AUH on education is well known, its effects on health have been less explored. This paper assesses the direct effect of the programme on children attending routine medical exams and receiving scheduled vaccinations, the health conditions of the programme, along with indirect health-related outcomes to explore the wider potential effects on child health. Using microdata from the Argentine Social Debt Survey (EDSA), a quasi-experimental design is implemented to determine the average treatment effect on AUH recipients. The AUH is found to have no effect on the behaviours on which it is conditioned or on dental visits, but it does increase food security. The paper discusses the implications of these findings for the design and implementation of programme conditionalities.

JEL Classification: H51; H53.

Keywords : Maternal and child health; Vaccination; Food Security; Evaluation; Argentina.

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