ABSTRACT
Conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs aim to reduce poverty and inequality over time by providing the funds and public infrastructure to build children’s human capital via improved food security and educational opportunities. Brazil’s Bolsa Família Program, now the world’s largest CCT program, has been highly lauded in policy circles for its success in reducing income inequality. However, its effectiveness in building children’s human capital, especially in rural zones where poverty in Brazil is most severe, remains under-studied. To address this gap, I combine ethnographic data on adults’ understanding and utilization of and experiences with the program with measures of children’s diets and nutritional status. Despite using funds in alignment with program goals, I found evidence of childhood hunger and poor growth, which I argue limits their ability to take advantage of new educational opportunities. I discuss the reasons behind these less than impressive results, and highlight the need for more social science research on the function and impact of CCT programs among the world’s most vulnerable populations.
