Cash transfers to tackle childhood poverty and vulnerability: an analysis of Peru's Juntos programme

Abstract

Social programmes in Peru have been plagued historically by a culture of dependency, clientelism and corruption. Juntos, a conditional cash transfer programme targeting children under the age of 14, was initiated in 2005 to provide a new model for social protection provision and tackle the country's widespread childhood poverty. Its design largely follows that of counterpart Latin American programmes and seeks to address the risks to children's future human capital development that stem from inadequate access to basic services and various forms of social exclusion. An innovative dimension of Juntos is its explicit focus on populations most affected by the country's political violence during the 1980s and 1990s. Drawing on document analysis and qualitative field research, this independent assessment considers the impacts of the programme on childhood poverty, the strengths and weaknesses of a conditional approach, and changes in intra-household and community dynamics as well as state—citizen relations. It concludes by discussing policy challenges and directions for future research.