4 - Conditional Cash Transfers

Summary

Conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs provide funds to low-income families if they maintain their eligibility by fulfilling conditions such as school attendance and regular healthcarefor their children. Some programs require recipients to work or attend training programs.¹ By far the most common practice is to provide the money to the female head of household. This chapter focuses on the highly prominent Brazilian and Mexican CCT programs. These pioneering cases illustrate the psychology of esteemreinforcement for those who support these programs, reflected in the opportunity for noblesse obligeon the part of relatively prosperous people and to assert control over “less-accomplished” people. These cases also reflect the ambiguityof outgroup identification, as shown by the grave difficulties of establishing who is eligible for the benefits. Regarding the psychology of deservingnessattribution, compliance with the conditions may be a crucial basis for deeming low-income people as worthy of benefits. The cases thus highlight the intersection of deservingness attributions, as outlined in Chapter 3, and the highly contentious issue of whether the poor are entitled to a “basic income” as a citizenship right (Murrayand Pateman 2012). For countries with people clearly receiving less than what would be considered a “basic income,” embracing the basic income as a right would mean a stain on the nation as a whole, challenging the self-esteem of the relatively prosperous. In contrast, the view that income requires responsible effort is consistent with the demand that cash transfers require compliance with conditions.