Family Trajectories and Terminations in Conditional Cash Transfer Programs: The Case of Chile's Ethical Family Wage Program

ABSTRACT

On an international scale, conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs have rapidly expanded. Since their boom in the 1990s newer modalities have emerged, incorporating some innovative components. The following study sought to examine one particular CCT program heralded as innovative due to its psychosocial and socio employment accompaniment components: Chile's Ethical Family Wage program. Utilizing administrative data from the Ministry of Social Development this exploratory study sought to examine family trajectories in the program with a particular focus on those families who were terminated from the program due to not meeting conditionalities. Findings from the study indicate that the program deviates sharply from its theoretical implementation. Furthermore, the probabilities of program termination increased in those families headed by younger adults, female and single-headed households, households with higher levels of education as well as larger families. However, a greater number of children decreased the probabilities of program termination as was homeownership. Implications of the findings for policy and practice are discussed.