Living on the edge: vulnerability to poverty and public transfers in Mexico

Alejandro de la Fuente*, Eduardo Ortiz-Juárez, Carlos Rodríguez-Castelán

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)
252 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Social policy in Mexico has focused on identifying and supporting households in extreme poverty. Yet, the country has a significant number of households just above the poverty line who are not eligible, by definition, for antipoverty programmes and are at risk of falling into poverty in the event of adverse shocks without appropriate social safety nets. This study uses cross-section and longitudinal data to understand better the profile of those ‘vulnerable’ households, their risk exposure, and the extent to which they are covered by public transfers and insurance mechanisms. The analysis shows that until 2010 most social programmes, including the few with productive components, barely covered the vulnerable. The study calls for public policies to pay attention to the vulnerable and find a policy mix on the continuum between targeted interventions and universal insurance schemes to serve this income group.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)10-27
Number of pages18
JournalOxford Development Studies
Volume46
Issue number1
Early online date4 Jul 2017
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Jan 2018

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